


your touch (hiatus)

by zayner



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Foreplay, Fratboy!Niall, M/M, Oral Sex, Recreational Drug Use, Rimming, magazine editor!zayn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2017-12-05 06:31:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 74,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/719952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zayner/pseuds/zayner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Only a short one. Sorry for the lack of reply, had a birthday, and exams and shit. But, I have now finished English and Photography, freeing up more time, so get in! Like I said, only short, but I'll be updating again, tonight. Look out.

Zayn rubbed the back of his neck, body slumped in his chair. He spun on it, tirelessly. 

_He needed a cigarette._

He looked at his watch, noting the early hours of the morning. He had to have his article done in two hours, and be down by the printer in three. Running a hand over his stubble ridden chin, he sighed, deeming it time for a cigarette. Pushing himself up from the chair, he grabbed his fags and lighter off of his desk, leaving on the small lamp. He was the only one left in the offices, everyone else having either finished or gone to the latest fraternity party; hosted by _Kappa Delta Phi_. 

Those dicks.

He was exhausted, and all he could think about right now was getting a cigarette between his lips, and chugging a beer. But, the first was only an option, right now. He walked down the stairs, passing the cleaners who were more than likely the only one's left in the block, apart from kids desperate to study for an upcoming exam. 

Pushing his way out of the double doors, he moved to stand by the brick wall; pulling a cigarette from the packet and securing it between his teeth, he fumbled for the box of matches. Grabbing them, he picked one and with two stikes, the match was lit. Lighting his cigarette, Zayn instantly relaxed as best he could in this situation. Shaking the match before dropping it on the ground, discarded with the rest. He pressed his back against the cold brick wall behind him, lifting to press one foot against it as he plucked the fag from his lips, holding the smoke in his lungs for longer than needed, before exhaling slowly through his nose.

He stared down at previous matches of his, almost smirking at how many times he's been in the situation.  _Almost smirking._

He looked over the quad, watching as students hurried from one place to the other. Being a Friday night, more than half of the campus were attending parties. Zayn was one of the few who wasn't. Not that he would want to. Liam had almost dragged him to the one back at the fraternity. He even said he'd come back down to the offices to check, bringing some of his 'brothers' to come and literally force him to the party. He respectfully declined, and when he says rescpectfully, he means something with three curse words or less.

Liam had rolled his eyes, but offered that smile. That fucking smile, with a nice, "Alright, mate. I understand."

Yes, fuck off, Liam.

Zayn continued to smoke his cigarette, vaguely wondering how much more he needed to do for his article. He still needed to right the cons for liking 'The Smiths', and the only one he could come up with is that they're no longer together.

He sighed, dropping his cigarette to the floor, his muscles instantly beginning to tense once again. He looked up over the campus, hearing a vague sound of someone retching. He indeed, was right, seeing a girl hold her friend's back as she  _tossed her cookies_ as Liam liked to phrase it. It didn't bother him, just like most things. 

You could agrue and say that this magazine bothered him, but it didn't. It just annoyed him. There's a difference, he knows there is. 

He licked at his lips, tasting the remaints of the nicotine, sighing, and heading back inside.

"Back to work I go," he muttered under his breath, eyebrows pulled together in displeasure.

He bumped into a body, chests bumping. He turned his body, frowning as he looked at the person who'd just full on walked into him. His frown didn't falter when he saw the half asleep boy, dragging himself through the hall. Ah, hard-core studying. "You alright, man?" He asked, tilting his head back to look at the boy carrying his weight in books. He received a grunt in return, before he literally walked the doors open. 

With a crook of his eyebrow, Zayn paid it no mind and jogged back up the stairs to the office. Once he neared the door, he heard a familiar voice. 

"I really don't know where he could have gone, all of his stuff is still _here_."  _Liam._

Zayn instantly cowered against the wall, pressing his back against it. 

_Shit._

"I don't know, mate. We can check again if you want?" Zayn didn't recognise that voice, he knew no one with a voice that annoyingly slow. He looked across the hallway, quietly jogging towards another room; keeping his hand on his pocket to stop his change from moving around. He opened the door quietly, stepping inside and closing the it behind him, almost wincing when the click gave a sharp click.

He couldn't get caught, he  _needed_ to finish the article and get everything down to the printer. He hid under one of the desks, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them; legs loose. 

It felt vaguely like when he used to play hide and seek with Doniya and Waliyha, and he'd try and make himself as small as possible, although this time, he wasn't muffling a laugh into his shoulder.

"Can we just get back to the party, Liam? Forget about your friend, let him do what the fuck he wants. He's big enough and ugly enough, right?"

_How pleasent._

Liam sighed, his voice growing faint. "I suppose there's always the next one." His voice trailed off, three sets of footsteps clearly heading down the stone stairs, noise bouncing off the solid walls.

He exhaled the breath he was holding, leaning his head back against the wood. He waited a good five minutes, before crawling from under the desk and standing up. He grimaced, looking down at his dusty knees. 

After wiping his knees and arse, he moved from the room, still cautious. He sighed happily, dropping himself back down on his chair. His eyes closed for a moment, head rolling back, giving himself a mental pat on the back. When his eyes did finally open, he caught sight of the red cup resting beside his laptop, the colour triggering a flare of anger inside him, like a fucking  _bull_ , or some shit like that. Although, he did read somewhere that bulls weren't actually angered by red. He grunted none the less, arm raising to bat the cup away.

 _Maybe he wasn't so laid back as he'd like to believe, but everyone got frustrated._  

Zayn was chilled though, just when he was under tremendous stress did he lose his shit.

_Bullshit._

He simply moved the cup, trying to force his fingers to stop from clinching around the plastic. It's not like it had any liquid left in it, God forbid they leave a cup half drunken. He dropped it in the trash, before walking back and dropping himself in his seat,  _once again._

He finally managed to regain his interest, looking at his laptop. He wrote and wrote and wrote until it was 7:30am and he had to be down by the printer in half an hour. He quickly saved it all, sticking it onto his memory stick. He arranged his article into the magazine template, smirking at himself. He re-saved it, needing the original and the entire magazine. He shut his laptop, practically slamming it shut and sliding it into his bag before grabbing his denim jacket, chucking it over himself before grabbing his bag. Slinging it over his shoulder. He yawned so hard, his jaw cracked in multiple places.

His eyes were heavily lidded, blood shot and blurring. Decorated with two matching dark circles, his long eyelashes literally getting stuck together by how much his eyes were watering.

He walked from the building, slugging his body and backpack to the main office. He shoved the door open, the wood slamming against the wall. The women at the desk looked up at him, falling into silence. One blonde smiled, coming to greet him.

"Good morning, Zayn!" She chirped, a smile ligtening her face.

Zayn grunted, wet lips parting. He raised his hand, lazily, almost shoving the memory stick in her hand. After she took it, he raised his finger to his mouth; demanding silence. He then proceeded to back out of the office, stumbling. He faintly heard the group of women laughing, but he ignored it.

Fucking hell, his head was beginning to pound. He hadn't even had any alcohol, and he felt as if he had a hangover. He grabbed his sunglasses, roughly covering his eyes. He trudged through the campus, walking past various houses in which must have been occupied by a shit ton of party goers.

He snarled as he walked down _Greek row_ , as it was referred to, noticing Liam's fraternity house. He also spotted his best friend and a few others boys' cleaning up the main porch. He really couldn't give a fuck, and trudged by them. Liam noticed him, looking down at him from the top stair; holding a black rubbish bag.

"Hey, where were you last night!" He didn't even ask it as a question; it sounded like an insult, if anything.

Zayn didn't even stop, not casting a glance. "Working, man."

Liam was about to speak again, when a familiar voice interrupted him. "Oi, mate, how about you give us a hand?" Zayn recognised that voice, immediately. The odd accent sticking to him.

"You're big enough and ugly enough. Do it yourself," he replied, limbs and eyes aching.

He received some laughs, obviously not from the male who spoke. 

He continued to walk, feet trudging down the street.

"Zayn!" Liam called after him, obviously trying to grab his attention. Zayn simply raised his entire arm, flipping off his best friend.

_Dicks._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

After about six hours of sleep, Zayn managed to roll out of bed. He looked up at the clock, deeming it 2 PM. He grunted loudly, shoving his face against the rough carpet.

There goes his sleeping pattern. _Again._

He stood up, slowly; joints and muscles groaning in protest. He looked at himself in the mirror, looking over his appearance. His hair was flattened on one side, and he had crease marks on his cheek. He grunted running his fingers through his hair in attempt to revitalize his dark locks. He stepped closer to the mirror, tilting his neck to the side, examining the dark stubble. Running a hand over his jaw and neck, he made a decision that he would just tidy it, rather than grab his razor.

He heard the sound of his message default tone, muffled by something encasing it. He frowned, looking around his room for his mobile. He looked down at his discarded jeans, seeing the glowing orb that was his iPhone. He crouched down, quickly rummaging it from his pocket.

Six messages, and seven missed calls.

He opened his call log, seeing all missed calls were from Liam. Checking his messages, only four were from Liam. One was from Perrie, asking him if he wanted to meet up for coffee, and the other one was from Doniya, telling him that she was bored.

After replying to both Perrie and his sister, he proceeded to tackle the texts he received from Liam.

_Zayn , where are you?_

_Zaynnnnnn :(_

_Mate , your not bailing tonightttt!_

_Thats it , im coming over._

Zayn frowned down at the phone, chucking it on the bed. He didn't particularly want to go to the party tonight, he'd be quite happy to sleep for the remaining Saturday. He grabbed a towel from his draw, heading into the shower and shutting the door. Even though his room mate had moved out last year, he was still in the habit of closing the bathroom door whenever he used it.

He pushed off his boxers, stepping into the shower and allowing himself to get lost in the heat and the steam.

 

After about fifteen minutes in the shower, with his face cleaned up and his hair dried; he walked back out into the bedroom of his dorm.

He yelped, seeing Liam perched on his bed, sketchbook in his lap. Zayn stumbled back, almost losing the grip on his towel. He clutched his heart, almost keeling over.

"I wish you'd stop fucking doing that!" He yelled, frowning at his casual looking friend. "What are you doing here, man?" He almost panted, the wrinkles between his eyebrows not easing from his tanned face.

Liam simply raised his eyebrow, looking up at him as if _he_  were the crazy one. "I told you I was coming over."

"Yes, but I didn't fucking reply. Indicating that I don't want you over," he clenched his fist. "What if I was naked?"

Liam raised and dropped one shoulder, "Living in one house with sexually charges boys, you get use to that prospect. I've seen you naked a million times, anyway." He stood, carefully placing the sketch book back down. "I'm here to make sure you're coming to the party, tonight."

"Are you gonna man-handle me if I don't?" He asked, raising his eyebrow and walking over to his closest.

Liam blushed, "Sorry about that, it seemed like a good idea at the time. No hard feelings, yeah?"

Zayn gave a bat of his hand, "Why is it so important I be there, anyway?"

Liam moved around the room, leaning against Zayn's desk. "You've just never come, and you promised me that when you had the magazine finished, you would."

The older boy mentally slapped himself. Shit, he did say that.

"I don't remember that."

Liam frowned, crossing his arms. "You promised, mate."

Zayn sighed, running his fingers through his unstyled hair. "I really don't like your friends, Liam. You know that."

"You don't know them!" He said, sounding like a small child. "They're great. Great guys. Great."

Zayn looked at him, narrowing his eyes. Liam even sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"Please, Zayn," Liam said after a while, a soft laugh in his voice. He stood up, gripping Zayn's bare shoulders, shaking him, lightly. "You're at University and you still haven't attended a fraternity party! It's bad enough you wouldn't join--"

Zayn swatted Liam's hands away, "We're not having that conversation, again. You know it's not my thing. I'll go to the party, if you leave now and I don't see your face again until tonight."

If it were anyone else, they may have been offended, but this was _fucking_ Liam. He simply smiled, his eyes creasing at the corners as he slapped Zayn's arm.

"You're the best, mate!" He spoke, while jogging out of the dorm, leaving the door open. Zayn heard a crash, not bothering to look. "Jesus, I'm so sorry!" 

Zayn couldn't help but smirk, walking to the door and slamming it shut.

"Idiot."

 

The party didn't start until eleven, so he still had time to study. He put on an old plaid shirt, with jeans and grabbed his brand new canvas his mother had sent him. Slinging it under his arm, shoving his paintbrushes and paints in his bag, he prepared to go to the Creative Arts block. He wasn't surprised to see, on his journey, people carrying around bags and bags from the party stores down the road. 

_They must make a fortune off of this campus._

He licked his lips, smoking a cigarette as he walked across the quad. He hadn't had the opportunity to paint this week, having been so focused on finishing the magazine. He couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face as he stopped at the building, marveling at the creative vibes, practically radiating from the bricks. Dropping his cigarette to the floor, he walked into the building, heading to his favourite room, immediately.

He was even happier to see it hadn't been claimed; empty for his disposable. He dropped his bag down on the ground, rubbing his hands together with a grin on his face. He set the blank canvas down, settling it on the easel. Grabbing his paints and brushes, he began to paint the way his mind was working, right now.

 

By the time he put his paintbrush down, it was dark outside, and his fingers was splattered with paint and cramped. He looked down at his watch, not bothered by the time. 9:30 PM. He sighed, standing up and cleaning up his area. His hands were a lost cause for the moment. 

When his station was clean, he placed his canvas at the back of the room, adding it to various other pieces of fresh work. He smiled down at his work, almost tempted to run his fingers over the layered acrylic. He stopped himself by loading up his bag, and switching off all the lights. Lugging down the stairs and into the main campus,  _more_ party goers walked around; dressed to impress, obviously.

Soon arriving home, he hoped into the shower once again; the acrylic refusing to leave his tanned hands. He shrugged, not particularly caring. 

Once dried, he took his time picking his outfit. Not because of the party, but because he's Zayn.

He settled on a simple black, short-sleeved tee and black, tight fitting jeans. Styling his hair in the desired way, he made sure he looked as good as he possibly could. Putting on his plain, silver pendent; he sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. His shoulders slouched at the thought of  _partying_ with frat boys and sorority girls. He was definitely  _not_ looking forward to tonight.

 

It only took him fifteen minutes to walk, a cigarette obviously between his lips, and his hands shoved into his pockets. He already had  _fifteen_ texts from Liam, telling him that he really would drag him to the party if he didn't come. 

He was only forty-five minutes late. 

Once at the bottom, he looked up the steps. Various people were outside, sitting on the steps, the front lawn, on the fucking roof. He took a deep breath, approaching the house. Music blasted from the windows, and closed door. He dropped his cigarette into a half empty beer bottle, before coughing into his hand. Raising his arm to the door, he roughly pressed his index finger against the doorbell.

After a few minutes, the door was pulled open. Liam stood there, phone pressed to his ear, as his own pocket started to vibrate. The fucking smile he pulled... Made Zayn want to punch him in his face.

"You came!" He cheered, raising his arms as if supporting his favourite football team. He stepped over the threshold, wrapping his arm around Zayn's shoulders and dragging him in.

"I said I would." He stated, vaguely knowing the song playing. It was a song by N.E.R.D. Lapdance, maybe?

_Of course they'd play this._

He scanned the fraternity house, not surprised to see there must be over a hundred people here. He pushed past bodies, of all types. Half naked; completely naked. 

"Do you want something to drink?" Liam pressed his mouth to Zayn's ear, the loud music booming through the house.

He nodded, "Definitely."

Liam smiled in encouragement, thinking Zayn was getting into the spirit. When truth was, the alcohol would make this night more bearable.

Zayn perched himself against a wall, eyes scanning the party. He could immediately pick out who was part of the fratenity and who wasn't. He wasn't left on his own for too long, suddenly being yanked backwards into the main kitchen. He stumbled back into Liam, frowning at his grinning face.

"Harry. Louis. This is Zayn." Zayn frowned in confusion, looking across from him to see two boys' staring at him. 

"Ah, so you're the one Liam was so set on getting here, tonight. We came to your office last, we gonna force you to come," the one with curls and dimples said. 

Zayn nodded, "I'm aware." He cast a glance Liam's way, seeing the familar blush light up his cheeks. "It's nice to meet you."

The blue eyed one smirked, "You're certaintly big enough, but you're not ugly." His voice came flooding back, once again.

He raised his eyebrow at the comment, looking over the smirk on his lips. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

The pair seemed to smirk, their faces fitting their prickish reputations. 

Liam placed the cup in his hand, and he was greatful. "Cheers."

"So, Zayn. How come we've never seen you at one of these, before?" The blue eyed one asked, leaning back against the counter, arms folded across his chest.

Zayn stared back into the obnoxious looking eyes, not hesitating. "Just, not my thing."

The other boy seemed to consider this, his mouth quirking at one corner. "What changed your mind?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Liam got there before him. "That would be me."

The green eyed boy, laughed; slapping Liam on the arm. "Nice work, mate."

Zayn looked back to the boy directly in front of him, noting how he seemed to be staring at his lips. 

"You having fun, yet?" Liam asked, squeezing his shoulder in encouragment.

He frowned, smirking ever so slightly. "Haven't been here long enough to find out, just yet, man."

The one in front of him laughed, his eyes also crinkling at the sides in amusment. He looked a lot less like a twat when he laughed, Zayn mentally agreed. "He's right, Liam. Poor lad has only just got here, and you're already harrassing him."

Zayn nodded once, not particularly greatful. "Thanks...?"

"Louis." He smirked, but he also looked a little annoyed that Zayn hadn't really paid attention to Liam's hand gesture when saying his name.

He offered a small smile, well aware that it must look a little sarcastic. "And, you're Harry." He stated, looking towards that taller boy. 

He actually offered Zayn a grin, nodding. "That's me."

"Where's Niall?" Liam asked, turning his head to look around the room. Harry also looked around the room, oblivious to the fact that Zayn and Louis hadn't broken eye contact.

Louis licked his bottom lip, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly. Zayn simply stared back with bored eyes.

_Dick._

"You look like you'd be perfect for Kappa Delta Phi, Zayn. You should consider that," Louis voiced.

He once again opened his mouth, but Liam beat him to the punch. "Nah, he's too hipster for us, ain't ya, Zayn?" Liam asked, laughing softly, those wrinkles around his eyes, as he tugged Zayn closer.

He laughed once, "Something like that."

Louis nodded, sucking in his bottom lip. 

The room of people started to cheer, all swarming outside. Zayn raised his eyebrows, watching as everyone started to disappear into the garden. He looked at Liam, silently asking. But, Harry got there first.

"Beer pong."

Ah. Of course.

He was literally dragged out by Liam, unable to protest against the stength he had from playing football. They all gathered around a ping pong table, ten cups on either side of the table, arranged into a triangle.

An obnoxious looking blonde was on one side, wearing a tank with the America flag printed on, and a snapback which was on backwards. He scored one of the ping pong balls in the nearest cup of his opponenets, raising his arms as the large forming crowd cheered. The other male was seemingly more drunk, frowning as he removed the ball and downed the beer in the cup. The cup was moved off the table as the brunette went to make his shot, missing completely.

The blonde laughed, holding his stomach as he rocked back. Even his laugh was obnoxious. "You're completely shite at this, Sean," he smirked.

In a matter of minutes, blondie had cleared Sean's cups, still having eight of his own. The brunette stumbled over, looking as if he was either about to puke or pass out.  _Probably both._

"Is anyone gonna challenge me?" He chortled, raising one of his cups to drain in a matter of seconds. He had large arms, tanned from the Summer weather, obviously. Zayn instantly labled him as Irish, and a prick. 

The blonde wrapped his arm around one girls waist, pressing his mouth against her ear. By the way his fingers tightened around her waist and how she blushed and bit her bottom lip, Zayn could tell the conversation was sexual.

Liam spoke to him, shaking him. "Zayn, you're amazing at beer pong. I don't think I've ever seen you lose a game." Harry and Louis seemed to find that interesting, looking at each other with a smirk.

"Oh, really? Niall here is the reining champ. He's never lost, either. Fancy a little competition? Get the ball rolling?"

Zayn shook his head, opening his mouth to protest, before  _fucking Liam spoke again._

"How much are we talking here?"

Louis licked his lips, "Two hundred."

Zayn almost swallowed his tongue, looking up at Liam, knowing he was sensible enough to dec--

"Deal."

"What? No. No fucking deal."

Harry smiled, smacking the boy on his arm. "Go on, mate."

"Ready, Zayn?" Louis asked.

"N--"

"Oi, Niall! Someone over here thinks they can take your title!" Everyone started to boo, obviously encouraging the blonde.

Zayn gritted his teeth, wanting to leave and crawl under a rock. "Fucking hell," he mumbled under his breath, receiving an apologetic look from his best friend.

"Oh, yeah? Bring 'em out!" Niall laughed, turning back to the girl, beginning to... In the nicest way possible,  _suck her fucking face off._

Zayn was shoved foward, barging into people. People looked at him, eyes widening. He recognised a good few faces, but that didn't mean he liked those faces. He ruffled the back of his hair, feeling sightly anxious at all of the sudden attention. Two guys moved around the table, setting up ten cups on either side, once again. Re-filling them and organzing. 

Niall opened his eyes, staring directly at Zayn as he continued to kiss the brunette girl. He peeled his damp, and swollen mouth away. His head gradually turned, looking over Zayn in a way that made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He raised his eyebrow, looking oddly taken back. 

Zayn scratched the top of his spine, looking down at the ground. "I don't know if this is a good id--"

Louis suddenly cut him off, cheering. "Let the games begin!" Sending the crowd into a roar of cheers.

Niall licked his lips, removing his hand from the girl's waist. Zayn didn't know if it was his girlfriend or not, and he didn't particularly care, either. Zayn followed suit, moving up to the table and taking the ping pong ball from the guy offering, giving a small smile in reply. He held the ball between his thumb, index finger and middle finger. 

The blonde seemed to forget about the girl, moving to concentrate on the game. Concentrate on Zayn.

Niall went first, ball landing in the first cup. Everyone cheered, blah, blah. Zayn sighed quietly, drinking from the cup, throwing the ball back.

It was his turn. He threw his ball, also easily landing in the first cup. He was surprised to get a cheer, Niall's eyebrow raising.

It continued like this.

Niall: Hit.

Zayn: Hit.

Niall: Hit.

Zayn: Hit.

Niall: Miss.

Zayn: Hit.

Niall: Hit.

Zayn: Hit.

Niall: Hit.

Zayn: Miss.

Niall: Miss.

Zayn: Hit.

Niall: Hit.

Zayn: Miss.

Niall: Hit.

Zayn: Hit.

Niall: Miss.

And, it all came down to this shot. If Zayn got it in, he won. If he didn't, it went to sudden death.

_He potted it._

Zayn was suddenly met with a roar of the crowd, Liam suddenly jumping on him. He looked over towards Harry and Louis, who looked shocked. He realised, that together, they owed Liam four hundred. Then, he looked at Niall. The blonde seemed to have narrowed eyes, staring intently at Zayn.

Zayn shrugged sarcastically, "What you gonna do?" He mouthed, fully aware how smug his smile was be right now.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, smirking ever so slightly.

_Well, he did enjoy winning._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the poor spelling and use of wrong words in the previous chapter, I was knackered, but I needed to get the chapter done. Once again, I don't own anything.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The (x) is an indication of the song I'd like you to listen to while reading. Open in a new window. Full blast, alright? Need you to feel it. Don't own the song.

Liam thought it was only fair to give Zayn half of the money, but he declined; receiving a wet, partly drunken kiss on his cheek.

"You really are my best friend, Zayn." Liam spoke, staring at Zayn with the goofy grin he'd usualy get when he was drunk.

"Yeah, yeah, get off me," he laughed, pushing Liam away. Receiving a ruffle of the hair, something Liam _only_ ever did when he was drunk, because he knew he'd get the shit kicked out of him for touching his hair. He grunted, but let it pass.

Louis stood in front of him, arms folded across his chest. "I suppose a congratulations are in order."

Zayn shook his head, still feeling smug. "Wasn't much of a task."

The seemingly older boy's eyes widened at that, laughing softly. "Wouldn't say that to Niall."

He shrugged, not really caring. He received a high five from Harry, a dimpled grin on display. "That was some mad skill, mate. I'm highly impressed. You should definitely reconsider about joining."

_How the fuck can they be so casual? They just lost out on four fucking hundred pounds._

Zayn shook his head. _I'd rather eat a dead rat._ "No, I don't think so." He excused himself to go to the bathroom, asking for directions. He was pointed into the right way, giving a slap to Harry in thanks.

He pushed through party goers, everyone suddenly knowing his name. _Not that he gave a shit._

He found the bathroom, and the huge fucking queue that went with it. He sighed, but lined up; waiting his turn. He was vaguely aware of hearing that obnoxious laugh close by. He turned his head, seeing the blonde talking to Louis. They both looked over at him, and Zayn stared right back. He wasn't one of those people that would look away when meeting eye contact. He found that extremely annoying. They both seemed to smirk in his direction, and he simply raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, moving further up the queue.

"Well, well. If it isn't the man of the hour," a strong Irish accent sounded extremely close by and Zayn didn't even bother to look.

"Is that my new title?" He asked, moving further up the queue.

The blonde laughed, coming into vision to stand in front of Zayn.

Zayn frowned, taking a step back. "I believe you're jumping the line here, mate."

Niall only smirked in response, pressing his hand against the wall. "What's your name?"

Zayn pressed a hand to Niall's chest, moving him along with the queue. "The King of beer pong, apparently. I don't know if I like the sound of that, though."

Niall smirked, again; moving along with Zayn. "Tell me." He pressed, chewing at his bottom lip.

Zayn laughed once, wetting his lips. "Zayn."

Niall seemed to pounder this. "Zayn," he repeated.

"Yes, Zayn."

He received a laugh, "I like you, Zayn."

Zayn raised his eyebrows, pressing his free hand to his chest. "Me? I really think I can die a happy man, now." He mocked, shoving Niall backwards.

The Irish man laughed, pretty fucking hard and loud, and Zayn couldn't help but smile.

But, only a little.

This seemed to somewhat please Niall, offering his hand. "I'm Niall."

"And, I'm leaving." He said, pushing Niall forward as he walked into the bathroom. As he closed the door, he heard a boom of that obnoxious laugh.

He heard Niall's voice once more before he apparently ran off to grab a fresh beer. "I like him."

 

([x](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dE-7-kBxXw))Once Zayn had left the bathroom, it seemed the party had really kicked it up a notch. The music was twice as loud, and all bodies seemed to be pressed together. Various activities were going on around the house. Flip Cup was being held in the kitchen, another round of Beer Pong outside, 'Never Have I Ever' on the stairs. The fucking  _huge_ living room seemed to be the centeral area to be, bodies pressed together in a wave of movement. 

He grabbed a beer from the nearest person, downing the can in a matter of seconds; much to the persons protests. He threw the can over his shoulder and barged through the crowd.  _Fuck, he deserved this._

Finding Liam, he grinned, cheering and pressing their foreheads together and beginning to jump up and down with the crowd. Hands and arms in the air, he actually enjoyed the ridiculously heavy beat of the song moving all of their bodies. Someone was walking around with a camera, documenting the night. He stuck his tongue out, eyes wide as it passed him, going back to dancing.

He was having a fucking good time. At a frat party. Who would have thought?

Shots and cups were handed out. Glass bottles of spirits poured down everyone's throats and clothes. Alcohol smothering the clammy air; sweat merging into the rooms. 

Body shots being done on the coffee table, tequila spilling over girl's belly buttons, salt on their neck and a lime stuck in their mouths. 

Zayn found his tongue on the girl's neck, before slurrping the alcohol from her navel and stealing the lime from her mouth, as well as receiving a ridiculously wet kiss.

Zayn almost fell over when Liam did a suicide shot, watching the younger boy laugh through the pain; manically. 

Louis grabbed the pair to do jagerbombs, seeing who can down them the quickest. Niall won, showing his victory with a smash of glass to the ground. 

Vodka shots passed around. Jelo shots shoved into people's hands. 

Clothes removed, whipped cream squirted onto bare skin; strangers licking it off the bodies. 

Pills handed around, passing them through kisses. 

Grinding of bodies, collapsing of bodies, puking  _on_ bodies. 

Drinks throw across the place, water guns filled with alcohol being fired into the crowd.

Plates smashed. Glasses broke. 

Zayn suddenly felt a hand grab the back of his neck, a rough hand pulling him. He looked up to see who it was, only barely being able to register who it was before they pressed their mouth to Zayn's.

 _Niall_.

The Irish man's fingers wrapped tightly against the back of his neck, his tongue evading his mouth as they kissed. Zayn's hand went to the tank, fisting his fingers in the material as he felt the pill entering his mouth. Even after he swallowed it, the kiss continued. Niall's tongue licking around his mouth, saliva being passed carelessy. The taste of alcohol, and the bitterness of drugs being passed between one another. 

Zayn didn't find himself stopping the kiss.

A fight kicking off to the right. A nose broken.

Another arm hooked around his neck, their lips being pulled apart. Louis was laughing, and that was it.

The kiss stopped and the party continued.

Zayn licked whipped cream off of Harry's chest.

Liam won the fastest time for chugging from a funnel.

Niall was the fastest one to shotgun a beer.

Louis held a joint between his lips,  _also_ shotgunning, but with the spliff.

Harry punched someone in the jaw, and Zayn tackled the friend trying to get in a hit. He got a foot to the eye, but he couldn't help but find it fucking hilarious.

Liam keeled over, laughing hard for nothing.

Girls on girls.

Guys on guys.

Drunk dialling. Desperate confessions. Affairs.

Police lights, and Louis handled it.

A bong passed through the crowd.

Blood stains on clothes.

Dancing. Drinking. Smoking. Fucking. Kissing.

Music becoming harder to hear, faces harder to see. 

Stumbling, gropping, giggling.

 

Darkness, nothing but darkness and the urge to vomit.

Perhaps  _Kappa Delta Phi_ wasn't that bad, after all.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a short chapter, but it needed to be done.

Zayn awoke with a fright, hearing something loud close by. As soon as he shot forward, he was very aware of how  _shit_ he felt. He felt like he'd been dragged backwards by a truck, hitting various cars,  _multiple_ times. He groaned, pressing his hands to his temples. The second thing he was aware of that he was in a closest. Surrounded by coats, and shoes. He reached his hand out, shoving roughly at the door. He immediately shrunk back, the natural daylight beaming through the open door. He closed his eyes tight, his eyes literally thumping in his head. He reached up, blindly, tugging on multiple coats to get him up. 

"Holy shit," he mumbled, his voice cracked and hoarse. He forced himself forward, stumbling around the wrecked looking house. He stepped over bodies, unknowing if they were asleep of fucking dead. Right now, he didn't care. He locked eyes on the front door, intending to go home and die. He was suddenly aware of the aching on the back of his neck, but paid it no attention. His own fault for sleeping the way he did, he guessed.

He kicked someone, but didn't bother on stopping; hearing their groan of pain somehow satisfied him. As he reached the door, he smiled, as if freedom was near. 

Walking by the kitchen, he heard voices. He growled quietly, really not wanting to deal with this. He dragged his feet across the floor, hearing a weaker version of that obnoxious laugh.

"Zayn!"  _Liam._ "Where were you?!"

His head thumped instantly, cowering away from the voice. "Shut up," he grunted in response, rubbing his head. "I was in the closet and now, i'm going home."

Soft laughter filled the kitchen, but that didn't stop him; he continued to walk towards the door. He reached behind him, patting his back pocket to make sure he still had everything, and oddly he did. 

Running a hand through his knotted hair, he cursed himself for not bringing his sun glasses.

Liam was suddenly in his face, and if Zayn wasn't so hung over, he'd laugh. Liam's face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. Zayn's eyes locked onto his forehead, his face dead pan. He was also looking down at Zayn with a odd expression, looking seemingly worried. 

"You've got a black eye!"

"And, you've got a cock on your forehead."

Liam's eyes widened, obviously not having looked in a mirror. That obnoxious voice rang loud again, cut off with a groan.

 _Prick_.

Liam limped off towards a mirror, obviously having received an injury. Zayn took the opportunity to walk towards the door again, another voice halting him.

"Zayn."  _Of course._

Zayn twisted his body, turning to see Niall jogging towards him. The blonde stopped in front of him, his shirtless body covered in marks obviously made by another mouth.

"What?" He asked, sighing.

Niall shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall closest to Zayn. He smirked looking over his appearance, his eyes lingering over his lips for a little too long. "Do you remember my name?"

"Yeah," he reached behind him, grabbing his pack of cigarettes, plucking one from the packet. He tucked it behind his ear, eyes widening as Niall just stared at him. "What? Are we playing twenty one questions?"

Niall chewed on his bottom lip once again, looking over Zayn's appearance. "Say it."

"Say what?" 

"My name."

He stopped what he was doing, fingers tight around his lighter. "You're kidding me, right? Why?"

"I wanna hear you say it." He shifted his weight, sweeping his tongue over his bottom lip.

Zayn raised an eyebrow, and rolled his eyes. "I'll catch ya later, blondie." He turned and opened the door, not bothering to say his goodbyes.

A laugh behind him told him that Niall was leaning against the door frame, watching him leave. 

_Fuck, he could practically feel the blue eyes on his body._

"Definitely."

 

By the time Zayn arrived home, he was dead on his feet. His shoulder hung low, and his body really began to ache. He looked at himself in the mirror, scoffing at his appearance. "Oh, God." 

His black eye was beginning to form under his right eye, the socket deeply bruised. As he turned his head to examine his eyes, another bruise caught his eyes. Frowned, his twisted his neck more. Small marks darkened his skin, little crescent shaped marks indented on his neck. He ran his fingers over them, noting how they matched the pads of his fingers. They were at an awkward angle though, how the fuck had he managed to do that? He vaguely thought about the night, before realization kicked in.

_You kissed Niall. Niall kissed you, more like. But, you didn't stop it._

He grunted, unable to believe himself. Fucking frat boy. His head ached and his joints hurt; the light burned his eyes.

He discarded his clothes, the fabric reeked of alcohol and smoke. He dropped them in the wash basket, making a mental note to do his laundry.

As soon as he was clean out of the shower, and into some clothes that seemingly comforted his body, he took three pain killers and jumped into bed. Turning off all the lights, and closing the blinds. He'd made sure to lock the door and turn his phone off, not wanting any distractions from his sleep.

_Fuck Uni._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, not a particularly long chapter - but, I want to update every day if I can. Maybe twice a day, and wanted to split this part in two as a big thing kinda happened.

By Monday morning, Zayn's eye had swelled and darkened. Murky purple and yellow, highlighting his eye socket. He smirked, nodding his head in appreciation. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't slightly pleased with it, of course he was. It's just a shame his face had to take a beating to get it.

English started at nine, and he silently dreaded it. His lecturer was known for rambling, falling off the subject completely, or becoming so engrossed with his story, he lost track of time. But, that's what made him a good teacher. His stories would have his classes in stitches, or bring tears to their eyes. He was made for English Literature. Zayn always admired the look Mr. West got whenever he spoke about Poe, or Shakespeare. Both completely different, but they said they had such important meanings to him. He was very open with his classes, having gone so far to say that he was dedicated to the poem 'The Raven' when his wife left him, and he religiously worshiped Poe's work because he went through an extremely dark stage. He said how he continuously read Shakespeare when his father died two years ago, because he said it was the only thing that distracted him from the real world. He was a great teacher, and Zayn definitely admired him; as did others.

For lunch, he wanted to get out of campus. He was sick of the campus' food, and needed something different. He settled for walking to town, rather than getting a bus or taxi. Sometimes it was nice to just walk. And, smoke, of course.

He stopped at the little cafe he'd came to the first night of Uni, ordering a pastry of some sort. He grabbed two, one for now and one to go. He set his laptop up on one of the tables, drinking a coffee as he tried to think about the next magazine edition. He checked his emails, grunting softly as there was nothing new. 

After about an hour of writing his paper, he was about half was done. Looking down at his watch, he knew he didn't have long left of lunch, and he still had to do his laundry, _and_ the walk alone would take him a while. He packed up his stuff, his rough fingers digging into the soft pastry as he left the cafe with a muffled thanks. 

One hand held onto his duffle bag full of dirty clothes, while he used the other to eat the pastry as he walked in the direction of the laundromat.

"Zayn?" He looked up, eyebrows raised as he saw Liam jogging towards him. He smiled around his pastry, his cheek bulging with the sweet treat. His smile dropped as he saw about four other men behind him, all geared out with bags. All from the party store, uptown.

_Fucking hell, do these boys think about anything else other then parties?_

Zayn nodded as Liam stopped in front of him, watching as his best friend stared open mouthed at him. He was obviously staring at his eye, but he couldn't really care less. "Fucking hell, mate. How did it even happen?"

Zayn looked towards Harry, who was grinning, obviously having heard what they were talking about. He swallowed the pastry, shaking his head. "That fucker, there."

Harry smirked, throwing his arm around Zayn's shoulders. "This is a great man here, lads. I owe you one, mate." 

He looked at the green eyed boy, looking over his split lip and his bruised jaw. He nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Zayn. Good to see you, again." Louis stepped forward, that intimidating smirk on his lips. 

He nodded, looking down to all of their bags. "Grocery shopping?" He mocked, eyebrow raised.

They laughed, and that pissed him off. He looked to the right, suddenly aware of the blonde smirking at him.

_What is with the fucking smirks? Are you required to have one to join Kappa Delta Cock?_

A brunette answered. Adam, maybe? "Something like that."   _F_ _ucking moron._   _He actually said it like he couldn't physically see the brand on the bag. What a fucking idiot._

Zayn frowned, but nodded. "Well, this has been thri--"

"You comin' to the party on Friday?" The Irish one, interrupted; his eyes locked on Zayn's neck.

He shook his head, glaring at Niall. "I think I'll pass. I endeavored one Kappa Delta Phi party, and that was one too many."

Liam frowned, "Oh, c'mon, Zayn! It's gonna be a glow in--" Louis' hand suddenly clapped over Liam's mouth, but it was pretty fucking obvious what he was going to say. 

He doesn't know why he humoured them, but he did. "What?"

Harry squeezed his shoulder, obviously pleased. "Nothing. But, you're coming."

"No. I'm not." He said simply, shrugging out of his arm. "But, I am going. Home. Have fun planning your party," he started forward, all  _fucking_  eyes on him. He patted Liam's chest, barging through Niall and Louis. "Catch you later, Liam."

 

Once he arrived at the laundromat, he quickly decided on a machine and grabbed all of the loose change from his pocket. Setting it on a machine, he set his bags down, and pulled his coat off. He also pulled out a book from his bag setting it on the side as he loaded the machine. Once he had the washer operating and running, he claimed a dryer for himself, also. Luckily there was only a middle aged woman in here, also, so he had a lot of choice. Putting his coat on the dryer, he heard the small bell ring above the door to indicate someone else walking in. 

He twisted his neck ever so slightly, eyebrows raised to see who was entering. He suddenly frowned, looking at the person. The blonde's cheeks were flushed, and his hair was messy beneath the snapback. The look of determination on his face looked almost appealing, and his thin legs moved quickly.

"Ni--?"

He was suddenly cut off, another mouth smashing against his own. He was forced back against the machine with a large metallic crash, iron like hands claiming his hips. Zayn's eyes were wide and his arms were limp by his side. Niall licked his way into Zayn's mouth, brushing the tips of their tongues together. Zayn couldn't prevent the chill he got when the Irish man growled into his mouth, his fingers pressing tight to his hips.

Before he even really functioned what was happening, Niall detached himself, nipping at his bottom lip. "You're coming, Friday." 

Zayn simply stared wide-eyed, his breathing uneven. 

Niall groaned, staring at his mouth. "God, I love those lips," he said before moving away, heading out of the door in a blink of an eye.

Zayn was left to simply stare after the frat boy, his mouth swollen and his hips aching. He looked over to the woman staring at him in shock, and he simply  _blinked_  at her.

"What just happened?"

 

All of the way home, Zayn tried to wrap his head around Niall kissing him. He just... Didn't know where it came from. He shook his head, his lips still tingling. He brushed his thumb over his mouth, attempting to fathom why the kiss occurred. He knew they kissed at the party, but he didn't think anything of it. It was passing an E, that's all. But, was it? He ran his fingers through his hair, forcing himself to stop thinking about it. Zayn wouldn't be one of those people to fall for a frat boy, fuck that.

Once he arrived back at his dorm, he unlocked the door, feeling oddly tired. He opened the door, looking down as his shoes pressed against something hard. He frowned down at the envelop, bending down to pick it up. He threw his keys on his desk, toeing off his shoes as he stared down at what was in his hand. Dropping his bag and clean washing, he opened the envelope.

He raised his eyebrow at the card, pulling out the ridiculously bright green card. 

_Friday. Kappa Delta Phi house. Invited by: Liam James Payne._

_You should feel privileged._

He stared down at the simple black words, a moment of silence.

"Fucking Christ," he spoke, throwing the card down on the table. Invites were made? Maybe this party was more exclusive. Probably as exclusive as it gets when it comes to KDP. "Whatever."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically dedicated to Zayn and Niall texting, and I had a lot of fun writing it.

Sitting in his chair, he tried to keep his eyes open. His head continued to slump forward, his neck doing little to hold it up. He frowned to himself, his hands resting on the sides of his laptop. He'd hadn't been to sleep yet, having been too focused on organizing the magazine. He'd taken it upon himself to write about campus life, because no one else seemed to want to do it. He glared at the screen of his laptop, seeing only two paragraphs written. He sighed, heavily, rocking back on his chair. The plastic groaned as it supported his weight, his hands coming to cover his face. He rubbed along his face, pushing his fingers into his hair before tugging them back down. He pursed his lips, shaking his head. Reaching for his cooling cup of coffee, he rapped his free knuckles on the desk. His eyes darted over the screen, reading everything he's typed once again. 

"God damn." This was a piece of shit. He selected all of the text, and deleted. It was something that, if he read, he would despise whoever wrote it for sounding so fake. Shutting the laptop, he met the eyes of the girl with pink hair. "It's rude to stare, Perrie."

She moved to sit on the edge of his desk, her arms folded across her chest. "Column not going well?" She asked, her voice actually sympathetic.

"Column going shit," he stated, bluntly, rubbing his hand over his face, once again.

"You look like shit."

He frowned, unable to really care about the comment. "And, you look like a toilet brush."

She simply tutted, moving to stand up and walk back to her desk. "Don't think too hard, Malik. You can't afford to lose anymore brain cells."

He laughed putting his head down on his arms. 

He'd been working on this column all fucking week, and he could still think of nothing. 

His phone buzzed on the desk and he slammed his hand down on it to stop the loud vibrating. Tilting his head to the side, he unlocked it and saw an unfamiliar number.

_Thinkin bout me ?_

He frowned, replying.

_Hardly, when I don't know who this is._

It only took a few seconds before another text came through.

_Sen me a naked photo and I might tell you_

He scoffed. _I'll live without knowing._

_I'm serious_

_Oh, I know._

_I can't stop thinkin bout tha pretty lil mouth of urs_

Niall.

Zayn raised an eyebrow, sitting up slightly. No, his interest wasn't spiked.

_You mean the mouth you took complete advantage of?_

_Mm yes. Youve figure it to out then . Was I to obvious ?_

_A little._

_So what u doin ?_

He leaned back in his chair now, staring at his phone.

_Making a mess of my school life._

_Id like t make a mess of u_

He was ashamed to say that he blushed. 

_What a line._

_Its true_

_In your dreams, Niall._

_I still need to hear u say that_

_Niall._

_Don't_

_Niall, Niall, Nialllll._

_Oh , thats just unfair, Zayn_

He couldn't help but laugh. 

_How did you get my number?_

_Swiped it off Liams phone_

_Sly dog._

_I try me best_

_I don't doubt you there, blondie._

_I'm lookin forward t seein ya friday_

_Never said I was coming._

_You are_

_Nope, I don't think so. Busy._

_With what ?_

_None of your business._

_Zayn_

_Niall._

_You're comin , I swear t God_

_Oh, blondie getting angry?_

_Yea, does it turn u on ?_

Fucking hell! This boy wasn't shy. 

_No._

_Liar_

_You have no proof._

_I'm behind ya_

Zayn spun around, moving quickly. He frowned at himself, having just fell for the  _oldest_ trick in the book. His phone vibrated a few seconds later.

_You looked didnt ya ?_

_Did not._

_Haha !_

_Get lost._

_Ah , dont be like that . I like messin wiv ya_

_I can see that._

_What are u doin really ?_

_I'm in the offices, trying to write my article for the magazine._

_You work with the magazine ?_

_I'm an editor._

_Mm sexy , I like tha_

_What about you?_

_Spanish_

_You speak Spanish?_

_Fluently_

_Oh, wow. I'm impressed._

_You actually believe me ?_

_Well, are you lying?_

_No_

_Then why would you think I wouldn't believe you?_

_People don't tend to , thats all_

_If you can speak it fluently, why are you studying it?_

_Because its basically a free lesson then ;)_

_Wow, you're clever. I must admit._

_I do try_

_Haha, well done._

Zayn put his phone down, after a few minutes of silence. He looked down at it as it vibrated, once again.

_Send me a naked pic ?_

_Goodbye, Niall._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically another texting chapter, but it needed to be done. Once again, I do not own anything of the sort; just a fan.

Zayn pushed his fingers through his damp hair, moving it from his eyes as best as possible. He stopped in front of the mirror, looking over his bare chest. He visualized more tattoos on his skin, and drawings he could do that would fit perfectly. He ran his hand over a spot on his chest, imagining the tattoo against his dark flesh. He sniffed faintly, looking down as his phone vibrated for attention. He saw the name immediately and couldn't help but roll his eyes. Another text from Niall.

_What u wearin ?_

Zayn laughed; this boy really was ridiculous.

_Why does it matter to you?_

_I wanna kno what ur wearin_

_I just stepped out of the shower, so a towel._

_Oh fk ..._

_What?_

_Tell me what ur doin right now_

Zayn looked around the room, as if someone else were there. He bit his lip, nervously, debating on whether to reply or not.

_I was just looking at myself in the mirror, and looking at my tattoo's..._

_Do u ave a lot of tattoos ?_

_Hah, yeah._

_I cant wait t see them all_

_You really do like to flirt, don't you?_

_Send me a picture of u_

_You mean my body...?_

_Yea , I cant stop thinkin bout you_

Why the fuck was he  _actually_ thinking about it?

_I think it's a little unfair if I just send you one, and you don't send me one back._

Zayn felt oddly smug with himself, putting his phone down as he rummaged his draws for some boxers. His phone went off again only a few minutes later, and Zayn(with a smirk) picked up the phone; opening the message. 

His skin immediately darkened, his mouth running dry and his heart racing. His eyes raked over the picture, continuously swallowing. The picture showed Niall, standing in a full length mirror, with only his boxers on. Zayn had seen Niall shirtless before, but the fact that this picture was sent directly for him, made it seem more personal. 

And,  _fuck,_ Zayn would be lying if he said Niall didn't have an amazing body. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes landed on the blonde's boxers, having obviously been tugged down slightly for Zayn's benefit. He could see the hair lining his stomach, becoming thicker as it moved deeper into his boxers. His cock twitched beneath his towel at the sight, and he tried not to concentrate on the outline of Niall's length through the thin, white cotton.

He rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. Looking over his body, he began to chew on his bottom lip. His eyes returned back to the picture, and he couldn't help but think back to the kiss he got in the laundromat. He took a deep breath, moving to lay down on the bed. He looked at his phone, another text coming through.

_Ur turn_

Zayn nodded, as if Niall was actually here. He turned on the camera, pushing himself up against the wall. He took the picture from the neck down, able to see his the majority of his body. He was aware how his body still looked wet, and he couldn't help but smirk a little. He sent the picture before he had time to think about it, dropping his head down on the pillow. His heart raced as the default tone played.

_Jesus u look fuckin good_

_Yeah?_

_Its makin me hard_

His eyes widened, a nervous little laugh spilling over his lips.

_Yeah?_

_Mm ... And by the look of it , ur hard too. Fuckin brilliant_

Oh, shit. He looked at his picture, his mouth falling open at the noticeable length beneath his towel.

_Haha..._

_Theres so many things I wanna do t u_

_...Yeah? Like what?_

_Run my tongue all over ur body , taste u_

Zayn's cock twitched once again, his body beginning to heat up a little. His other hand lay motionless on his stomach, fingers beginning to twitch.

_You want to taste me?_

_Mm , I want u t taste me too. I want those pretty lips round me_

Jesus Christ.

_You want me to suck your cock?_

_Fuck yes . Tell me what u'd do. Dont b shy_

_I'd get on my knees in front of you, and I'd pull your jeans down, and I'd kiss you through your boxers..._

He sent the message and looked at it for a few moments in silence. "Where the fuck did that come from?" He didn't really have time to regret it, because Niall replied, almost instantly.

_Jesus Christ ... Keep goin_

_I'd want to tease you for a little bit, breathing really heavily against your cock... Leaving little wet marks all over your boxers..._

_Zayn fuck ,.,,_

Zayn's eyebrow raised at the odd use of punctuation, a thought coming into head. He was touching himself. 

_Then, I'd pull your boxers down, and I'd lick the entire length of your cock..._

_MMn, yes.d.._

A satisfied smile appeared on his face, and he chewed on his bottom lip.

_I'd then start to lick the head of your cock, pushing my tongue against your slit..._

_Fucckm, i wan tt that.f_

He began typing out another message, his dark skin flushed. The knock on his door interrupted him, and he looked at it in shock for a moment. He remembered who it was, and let out a little laugh before erasing his message and typing a new one.

_And, then Liam would knock at the door and pull me away. Have to go, blondie. Your 'brother' is here._

He stood up, unable to stop laughing. He pulled on some boxers and jeans, quickly. Linking the towel around his neck, walking to the door. He smiled as Liam walked through, a bag of lunch in his hand.

"Lunch has arrived."

His stomach growled, and he laughed. "Thank God, I'm starving." His phone suddenly went off, and with a smirk he opened the message.

_Im gonna fuckin kill that prick_

He laughed loudly, staring at the message. 

Liam stared at him, a small smile on his lips. "What? Who is it?"

Zayn threw the phone back down on the bed, sitting down in front of the other boy. "Your worst enemy, right now."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another song for you to listen to. Full bast, remember? I want you to feel like you're at the club. Disclaimer: Don't own shit.

By eight, Liam called Zayn sounding extremely embarrassed.

"Uh... I j-just wanted to apologise..." He sounded odd, and there was another voice in the background.

"Why?"

"For... Uh, interrupting."

_Oh, my God. Niall actually told him off._

He couldn't help but find that amusing, "It's alright, mate."

"So, I'm gonna go now... Hold on," a muffled noise came through the speaker. "What? Call him yourself, I haven't got mu--" A thud, and distant voices. "Hello?"

He licked his lips, that Irish accent oddly surprising him. "Hey."

The obnoxious laugh filled his ear, but it sounded calmer. Seductive, almost. "I'm lookin' forward to seein' ya."

"I _bet_ you are."

That laugh, again. Zayn couldn't help but feel a little weak at the knees. _Metaphorically_ , of course.

"I'd like for you to demonstrate what you were sayin', on me."

Zayn sat down on the edge of his bed, looking towards the clock. "Oh, really? I wouldn't get your hopes up... Blondie."

"Ah, you're still not sayin' my name, huh?"

"Nope."

"I'll get it out of you, one way or another. Trust me."

It was Zayn's turn to laugh, and he wanted to punch himself for how ridiculous he sounded.

Liam's voice sounded in the background, once again. "Alright, that's enough. I'm gonna puke," another loud noise. "Ouch! Fucking hell, Niall!"

"Gotta go finish preppin' for tonight. I'll see ya in a bit."

"Maybe." He hung up to the sound of that laugh, chewing on his bottom lip.

He smiled down at the phone, before suddenly frowning. He dropped the phone on the bed, as if in disgust. "You pussy, you _fucking_ pussy." He sighed, moving to the closet. Liam had told him to wear something that he wouldn't mind if it got ruined; still trying to remain oblivious and hide the theme of the party. He swore he saw Liam snickering to himself, when Zayn pretended to act dumb-founded about the whole party.

He decided for a white tank and some ripped jeans he usually wears while painting; he knew they'd get ruined. The dress code was white, which was another giant fucking indication of a 'glow-in-the-dark' party.

 

Just one fucking look at the frat house was enough to tell Zayn that the theme of this was 'glow in the dark'. All the lights were off, and all you could see inside were bright neon strobe lights, and what looked like glow sticks and glowing smudges. He walked up to the door, pulling his invite from the back of his pocket. Louis opened the door, clad in only shorts. He had paint drawn in patterns over his chest, and his face.

"Liam! Your date is here!" He looked over Zayn's appearance, licking his lips. "You look good, mate."

Zayn frowned, pushing his way in. "Date?"

"Yeah, date. Liam invited you, so you're his date. Got your invite?"

Zayn held it out for Louis to examine. He doubted he could see under the dim lighting, and more than likely just guessed.

"Sweet, go on up."

"Up? Up where?"

"Up the stairs, you can't look like that. You need to have your paint done."

He pretended to look shocked, "Oh, I see!"

Louis smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

Zayn walked away, laughing as he walked up the stairs. "'Course not."

He walked up the entire length of the stairs, looking around. Even the upstairs had been decorated. He looked at the many rooms, which were obviously the boys' bedrooms, but he had no clue which one was Liam's.

"Liam?" He called, stopping in the middle.

He was suddenly yanked backwards, pulled into a room. For a moment he thought it was Niall, and he started to panic. When he saw the big brown eyes, he instantly relaxed.

"Fucking hell, Liam. You really do like to give me a heart attack, don't you?"

Liam looked apologetic, "Sorry. You excited?" He asked, letting go of the other boy's shirt and closing the door.

He moved to look around the room, laughing as it looked exactly like the one from back home. "Nothing really has changed."

Liam followed Zayn's eyes, grinning at his posters. "It's great, isn't it? It makes me feel less homesick."

Zayn looked towards his best friend, seeing the way his smile slipped a little. Since they were little, Liam had always gotten homesick. It took him a while to get used to Zayn's house, but because he was over there so often, it was like a second house for him; literally. Zayn always took care of Liam, and he always did whenever the boy missed his home and his Mum.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked, wanting to change the subject for the younger boy.

Liam instantly smiled, grabbing the neon paints. "I thought you could do our paint, considering you're so good at Art, and I haven't got a creative bone in my body."

He rolled his eyes, standing up. "Alright, then. Swap with me."

Liam smiled eagerly, moving to sit in the place Zayn had just got up from. He opened up the paint, lid by lid. Rubbing his hands together, he dipped his index and middle finger into the yellow and green. He then moved in front of his best friend, decorating the area around his eyes with small polka dots.

"How's everything going with the magazine?" Liam asked as Zayn began working on his face.

He sighed, dipping his fingers more carefully into the paint. "Not well, right now. I've been assigned to do an article about what Uni life it like. And, you think it would be easy. But, everything I come up with just sounds like complete shit."

Liam nodded, smudging one of the dots, receiving a smack to the head. "Sorry. That does sound hard, you can't really describe Uni life when you haven't lived much of it, can you? How long do you have till it's printed?"

"Next Friday. So, no dragging me to anymore of these, alright?" He poked Liam in the stomach, playfully, receiving a laugh.

"Fine, fine. I promise. Thanks for coming, Zayn. I know these things aren't really your," he raised his hands to do air brackets, "'scene' but, you've done it, anyway. That means a lot to me, and everyone else seems to really like you!" Liam couldn't help but sound enthusiastic about the matter. He coughed a little, oddly sounding nervous. "Especially Niall."

The dark skinned male couldn't restrain his laughter, rolling his eyes. "Sorry about that, earlier."

Liam shrugged, "It's alright. I just want you to be careful," he opened his eyes, staring up at Zayn. "I know what he's like, Zayn. He's been with a lot of people, he's had at least two girls over, today. I don't want you to be," air quotes again, "'one of the many', y'know? I love the guy, but he is a complete prick."

Zayn nodded, adding the finishing touches to the decorative eye. "He can do what he wants, man. We were just having a bit of fun. You know I'm not into that romantic shit, I never have been."

Liam nodded, smiling. "I know."

The other lad took a step back, looking at his creation. "And, you're done. Take a look." He was pleased with how it had turned out. "Wait, wait!" He walked over to the light switch, turning it off. "Now, look."

Liam gasped, the only sight of him was the paint and the outline of his clothes. "Zayn, this is sick."

He smirked, nodding as he turned the light back on. "Don't worry about it."

After he was done, having used orange and pink because of his darker skin, the boys' headed downstairs. The party was in full swing, black-lights everywhere, with glow sticks and people covered in paint. Liam threw his arm around his shoulder, pulling him into the crowd.

([x](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ben2HM3cJWI))The pair headed into the crowd, Liam tugging on the front of Zayn's tank in a teasing way. Zayn couldn't help but laugh at the gesture, rolling his eyes. The pair began to dance together, and nothing ever like this got weird because it was Liam and Zayn. Best friends since they could both talk. They were like real brothers, and not the fraternity type. They told each other  
everything. Everything.

Alcohol was brought out into the crowds again, drinks probably spiked and drugged, but that didn't stop anyone from  
drinking them. The heat would get too much, and people were forced to drink.

After about an hour of solid dancing, neon paint bottles were passed around. Hands squeezed at the bottles, unleashing  
the paint onto other's bodies, hair and clothes. Machines were placed around the room, releasing thick, white smoke; filling every corner.

Hands latched onto his hips, tugging him roughly against a hard chest. He heard the soft growl, and knew what was in store for the night. He pressed his hips further back into the blonde, feeling the overly strong fingers hold on tighter. Their hips rolled together, the drum beat of the song moving their bodies. As the chorus really kicked in, Zayn found himself bending forward slightly, pushing all of his weight back into his arse. Paint was being poured on them carelessly, and as he leaned back, he flicked his eyes to see Niall staring down the gaping space down his tank.

He wanted Niall, there was no denying it. But, something about the blonde really _did_ fucking annoy him, so he wasn't just going to give it over.

He glided his hands over Niall's, pulling them away from his hips. He pressed his fingers in between the spaces of Niall's own, using the hold to move his hands more efficiently. He guided one hand under his tank, pushing their hands against his wet, over heated skin. With the other hand, he slipped it down his right thigh; slowly. He moved it so Niall's thumb knuckle brushed against the hardening area in his jeans, causing him to moan softly as he rocked his head back. The Irish man's breath suddenly spiked, his thumb working on it's own now to flick out and rub over his clad covered cock on the way back up his thigh. He ground his hips back, moving to spread his legs, a little.

Niall immediately understood the invite he was offering and slid his knee in between Zayn's parted legs. As soon as his knee brushed against the heated, sensitive area, between his legs, he rolled his neck back; compressing his back tighter against Niall's chest. He removed his own hand from his thigh, leaving Niall to do what he wanted as he looped the arm behind himself to grab onto the Iad's neck.

Zayn could feel that Niall was encouraging him to use his leg to his own benefit, and so he did. Biting on his bottom lip, he rocked his hips forward, the growing bulge in his jeans rubbing along Niall's thigh. He released a soft, choked moan and Niall's mouth pressed against his neck as he rolled his head back even more. He could feel the blonde's hot breath against his skin, his lips teasing a protruding vein. 

Niall's hands continued to stroke his thigh, fingers brushing over his straining cock; his other hand still lay on his stomach, nails teasingly scratching at his skin. 

Zayn gasped as Niall's palm brushed over his erection, his fingers teasingly squeezing him. "N-Niall..." He moaned into the other boys' ear, hearing the growl practically rip from Niall's throat. He was pulled tighter against the blonde, moaning.

"Fuck," the Irish man breathed, biting down on Zayn's flushed, damp neck. He growled once again, dropping his arms to simply grab the other boys' wrist.

Zayn was pulled from the haul of people, his body heated and covered in paint.

He had a feeling that he'd be sore after tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)))))))))))))))))))))

Zayn's wrist was still captured, being pulled up the stairs. His body was sticky with the paint, his clothes sticking to his body. He looked back down at the party, licking his lips in anticipation as they soon reached the top of the stairs. Niall spun on his foot, using his hold on Zayn to push him against the wall, pinning his wrist to the side of him. The blonde leaned in, slowly; his eyes locked with Zayn's, as he brushed their lips together. Zayn couldn't help but breathe heavily into Niall's mouth, almost shocked by how slowly their lips met. 

Niall pushed his lips softly against Zayn's, kissing him a few times before he grabbed the older boy's hip, pushing him hard against the wall. The tight press of their lips was enough to take Zayn's breath away. Niall slid his tongue over Zayn's bottom lip, carefully sliding his tongue inside the other boys' mouth. Zayn moaned into the kiss, grabbing the back of Niall's neck to pull him closer. The kiss suddenly became wet, deep and passionate. He'd be lying if he said he's had a kiss like this before. It was intense, and the way Niall worked his tongue around Zayn's was enough to leave him breathless. 

The passion didn't die out, it just grew fierce and more heated. Niall pulled his hands away, keeping their lips locked as he pulled the stained tank over his body. Zayn's hands instantly reached out to slide down his bare chest, marveling at the way it felt under his hands. 

Niall tasted like alcohol and more alcohol, his lips deep and rich. Zayn parted his lips more, allowing Niall more access to his mouth. He was suddenly pushed into a dark room, his hands viciously grabbing at Niall's body. The door slammed and the only thing that really lit up the room, was their crazy amount of glow paint. The faint smell of sex, weed and alcohol filled the room and he realised with an excited thought, that it must be the Irish man's room. His arms were lifted as his vest was pulled from his body, lips reconnecting. 

Their mouths molded together, tongues easily sliding against each others in want; need. The air smelt desperate around the two, almost as if a haze covered the them. Their bodies were pressed unbelievably tight to each other, chests compressed. Niall used the advantage of Zayn not knowing his surrounding by walking him backwards, his hand knotted in the back of Zayn's hair. He moved with Zayn, though, falling on top of him; their lips still together. 

Zayn gasped as Niall finally broke the kiss, moving his mouth to kiss down his neck and over his shoulder. The other lad sucked as much breath in as possible as Niall reattached himself, nipping his bottom lip between his teeth. This time Zayn pushed his fingers through the back of Niall's hair, fisting his hand in the bleached blonde locks, their mouths moving against each others, erotically. He pulled Niall closer, spreading his knees for the other boy to place himself between. Once Niall moved, Zayn closed his legs, his knees pressing against the blonde's hips.

The room was hot and heated, their bodies sliding together from the paint, and their sweat. Hands wondered Zayn's chest, running down the length of his torso. Fingers teased the waistband of his boxers, but not entering. Niall's hands were suddenly gone, but his lips still remained. Both of Zayn's hands were curled in Niall's hair, tugging roughly as Niall kissed him eagerly. He groaned as his jeans were undone, the hands working on the fastening holding the denim closed. Niall's weight was added to his body as one of his hands moved to press down against the mattress; his other hand sliding beneath the tight fabric of Zayn's jeans. 

He released a moan as the large hand covered his clad covered cock, the heated palm pressing down at the head. Zayn could feel himself become even harder, his thighs desperate to close, but Niall's body preventing the action. He had to remove his lips from the kiss, desperate for air to fill his lungs. He pressed the back of his head against the thin pillow beneath him, the dampness of their bodies not annoying or uncomfortable enough for them to stop. 

 _Fucking Christ._ The way Niall moved his hand was enough to make him come right then and there, his body aching to be touched by the blonde. His eyes was shut tight, the pleasure coiling through him as Niall flicked his wrist slightly, causing the head of his cock to leak with pre-come. He slowly opened his eyes, watching with a racing heart as the other boy stared down at him with complete devotion and concentration. His lips were parted, damp and swollen, tongue carefully rolling out at the corner. His usually bright blue eyes were visible in the dark, indicating that they must have deepened a shade, or two. 

He was wrong.  _That look_ was enough to make him come right there. 

Niall pressed his fingers teasingly against his balls, the base of his palm rubbing him roughly through the cotton in a way that made the most delicious friction against his cock. His stomach began to tighten, and he could feel the flush run down his groin as he moaned sharply. 

He could see the metallic smile through the dark, and mentally realised that he'd never kissed anyone with braces before. It felt good, in a weird way.

Niall removed his hand, a rough, quiet laugh escaping his lips. "You're so wet. Anyone would think that you actually liked me." He mocked, brushing his fingers just above the waistband of Zayn's boxers, causing his back to arch with a soft whimper.

_What the fuck was that?_

Niall's eyebrow raised, and he tilted his head to the side, another cocky laugh leaving his fucking perfect lips. "Looks like I've found a sweet spot."

Zayn had no idea that  _that_ even existed on his body; nobody had ever found that before.  _Wow._

Niall chewed on his lip, leaning down to flick his tongue over Zayn's top lip, fingers latching onto his jeans. He used both hands to pull them down his legs, looking at Zayn the entire time. He couldn't help but push himself up on his elbows as he watched Niall drop his paint soaked jeans to the floor, looking over the seductive  _glare_ it seemed. Niall's lip twitched at the side, as he pushed his own shorts down his legs, also leaving him in his boxers. He climbed back on the bed, and Zayn couldn't take the sight of him. He hated himself for thinking like that, but he'd be a fucking liar if he said that he didn't want Niall.

He grabbed Niall's wrist, pulling him to the bed roughly. He rolled them over, moving to straddling the other boys' hips. Niall looked up at him as if surprised, that  _fucking smirk still on his lips._  It angered Zayn to the point of him leaning down and harshly biting down on those pink lips, only stopping when he could taste blood; his hands rubbing roughly over the blonde's pecks. He pressed his palms against Niall's nipples, receiving half of a moan, and half of a growl. He slid his tongue inside Niall's mouth, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, dramatically. 

He rolled his hips, their cocks aligned perfectly, lengths rubbing together, eliciting a moan from both of the boys as Niall grabbed his hips. He placed his hands on either side of the lad's face, moving to roll his hips once again. He thrusted down roughly, gaining a choked moan from the blonde. He smirked, grinding down onto Niall's lap with precision. The other boy used his hold on Zayn's hips to help him move, fingers painfully tight. But, pain was the last thing on their minds.

It got to the point where Zayn was dry humping the blonde, their boxers damp from the pleasure. Rough moans and gasps shared between the two. Niall's hips rutted upwards, meeting Zayn's thrusts. The heat was unbelievable, only adding to the sexually charged environment. 

Niall growled deeply into Zayn's mouth, moving to roll them over again. Zayn was winded at the quick movement from the blonde, staring up at him as their forehead connected. They moved their lips close, but not connecting them, teasing one another by the potential kiss. Niall leaned over across to his bedside table, rummaging through the crap in his draw, obviously. He finally found something, and Zayn could tell this by the smirk that spread across his flushed face. 

In one movement, Niall had a condom between his teeth, using his hand to tug the foil apart. Carefully removing the contents, he wagged his eyebrows before spitting out the foil and throwing it on the floor. He then handed Zayn the slicked latex, chewing on his bottom lip. 

"Put it on me," he practically purred, his voice rougher, and deeper then usual. Zayn didn't realise he was panting, but he heard himself as he pushed himself up slightly, enough to reach over to Niall. He watched as Niall easily pushed down his boxers, kicking them off. He stared with wide eyes at the sight of the blonde's cock, standing for attention. He watched as Niall moved to sit on the back of his heels, smirking at Zayn as he tilted his head to the side and began to stroke his own dick.

That's all he could do. Watch.

He swallowed nervously, watching the way Niall's strong hands touched his own cock, teasing himself by rubbing his thumb over his slit, causing the blonde to let out a quiet groan. "Zayn," he moaned, obviously trying to egg him on.

_It was fucking working, I'll tell you that._

Zayn eagerly crawled closer to Niall, moving to sit on his knees directly opposite the blonde; knees pressed together. He leaned forward, replacing Niall's hand with his own. He stroked his cock a few times before carefully placing the condom on, and rolling it down the entire large length. He looked up, meeting the intense stare of the blonde. He seemed to be studying Zayn very carefully, and it made him feel anxious. 

Zayn bit his bottom lip as Niall pressed his palm against his chest, pushing him back down to the bed. He landed on the mattress with a squeak of the springs, Niall's fingers roughly hooking around his boxers. He whimpered at the scratch of blunt nails against his heated skin, causing him to tremble. He was completely exposed in a matter of seconds, body bare and desperate. Niall leaned over, eyes hungry and wild looking as he pressed kisses to some of his tattoos. He licked the shape of the heart on his hip, causing Zayn to whimper. His breath caught in his throat as Niall lifted up his legs, draping them over his shoulders. Niall lent over, reaching for something by Zayn's head. The head of his cock brushed over his entrance, and he moaned, his hands coming to grab Niall's shoulders. Niall raised his eyebrow, suddenly aware of what he'd just done. He snickered darkly, grabbing what he needed before rubbing the entire length of his cock against Zayn's arsehole. He moaned again, pushing his head harder against the pillow. 

Niall pulled away, licking his lips. Zayn's legs still draped over his shoulder, chest heaving slightly as he watched the blonde open a bottle of lube, squeezing some onto his fingers. He dropped the bottle onto the floor, using his other hand to rub the gel into his fingers. He smirked down, leaning over his body. He pressed their lips together, and Zayn almost forgot about what Niall was about to do. Until, he felt a cold finger carefully rub at his entrance, coating the tight skin. He moaned softly, voice and breath breaking. He sucked in a breath as Niall pushed in the tip of his finger, not bothering to wait before pushing his entire finger inside.

Zayn moaned loudly, the loud bass from the music downstairs, probably drowning him out to everyone else, who weren't in the room.

Niall quickly pushed in a second finger, roughly working Zayn open. Zayn silently thanked the fucking heavens, because  _Jesus._ If he'd never had sex with a guy before, he'd be a crying mess with how rough Niall was going. He pushed back against his fingers, not expecting a third finger. He grabbed the back of Niall's neck, digging in his fingers. Niall was teasing him right now, and he was fucking loving it. He raised his hips, just as Niall curled his fingers and brushing against his prostate. He moaned, fingers pressing harshly against the white skin.

The blonde pulled his fingers out, not wasting anymore time before he pressed the head of his cock against Zayn's eager entrance. He pressed the back of his heels tight against Niall's back, trying to push him in. He stopped there, though and Zayn could feel his thighs tremble. He looked up at Niall, panting wildly. 

"Say it." Niall's voice was unbelievably seductive and dark, black, almost. 

He continued to breathe heavily, his head spinning. "Say what?"

"My name."

_Oh, fuck._

He closed his eyes and his lips, sharply breathing through his nose as he held onto the blonde's neck. He could feel the other male's breath against his cheek, nudging his cock in a little further with a growl.

He moaned loudly, "Niall!"

As soon as the word slipped from his mouth, he was completely filled. He couldn't breathe, his lungs ached for air as pleasure completely consumed him. 

He heard the Irish voice curse, the word spoken directly into his ear, sending a spark of lust through his bones. "Fucking Jesus... You're so tight."

Zayn instantly clenched around Niall, wanting another moan. He smirked as best he could as the breath tickled his ear, once again. The unbelievably sexy accent killing him. He gasped as Niall began to thrust, not bothering to take his time. Once again, Zayn thanked his lucky stars for having been fucked before.

He moaned with every delicious thrust, Niall's cock filling and un-filling him in quick movements. He dragged his nails down the front of Niall's neck, almost fucking  _screaming_ at the hard thrust he received for doing it. He pushed back against the blonde's dick, whimpering into the mouth suddenly connecting with his own.

Zayn's legs were pushed further up as Niall added more weight to him, his legs coming up to Niall's neck. He crossed his ankles, the burn of the hard thrusts nothing compared to the overwhelming pleasure. Niall's hands pinned him in, pressing down to the mattress as he continued to thrust and rock his weight into Zayn; pounding into him.

He, that without a doubt, he'd be covered head to toe in bruises, tomorrow. But, it somehow excited him. Zayn's fingers slid back into the blonde hair as they continued to kiss, desperately swallowing each other's moans and cries of pleasure. 

It was rough and quick, and Zayn had never fucking experienced anything like it. 

His skin was burning, and his stomach and groin tightened. The friction he was receiving from Niall's hard stomach rubbing against his cock was enough for him not to touch himself, the strong muscles in the blonde's stomach feeling unbelievably amazing against his twitching length. 

Niall's thrusts began to get quicker, but they lost the rhythm that they'd found, indicating to Zayn that the boy on top of him was close to hitting his peak. He roughly pressed his nails against Niall's skin, dragging them down the already sore looking skin. He got what he wanted, another hard and deep thrust aimed directly at his prostate causing his back to arch. They weren't even kissing anymore, just panting into each others mouths as both of them dripped with sweat. Paint smeared across their entire body, neon finger marks and hand marks all over their skin. It was unbelievably messy, but so fucking amazing.

"F-Fuck, Niall," he moaned, desperately. "I'm g-gonna come..." 

Niall rolled his hips once, sending another pang of heat straight to his groin. Niall teasingly pressed the head of his cock against his prostate, prodding it with his slicked head. He moaned unbelievably loud; Niall swallowing the pleasure filled cry.

A few more thrusts were delivered before Niall moaned loudly, pressing his face against the crook of Zayn's neck, his hips stuttering as he released his hot come inside of Zayn, filling the condom. That alone was enough to push Zayn over the edge, and with one rut of his hips, his release was spilling between him and the blonde lad.

They collapsed, Zayn's legs still draped over Niall's shoulders, and hooked around his neck. Their chest pressed tight, the rapid breathing causing them to pant. Niall took a few minutes to regain himself, pulling out of Zayn as he raised his head to kiss him. They both moaned at the feeling and Niall rocked back on his heels once again, pulling Zayn's legs from his shoulders.

He watched as the blonde rolled the condom from his softening length, before leaning over Zayn's body heavily, and chucking it into the small trash can beside the bed, filled with tissues and food wrappers, from closer inspection. Niall flopped back down onto his back, groaning from the exertion.

The sounds of the music and their harsh breathing filled their senses, both of them soon consumed by the alcohol, drugs and the rough sex; completely passing out.

"Where have you been all of my life," was the last thing he heard, managing a small laugh before closing his eyes and falling into a heavy slumber; Niall's body next to him. He managed to say one last thing before passing out.

"Shut up, blondie."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

Zayn groaned, a bold orange seeping in through his eyelids. He opened one eye, seeing the bright light from the blinds shine through and cast thin lines of colour over the navy blue bed. He pushed himself up on his elbows, body stiff. Turning his head, he looked for a form of clock, telling him the time. He looked at the bedside table, seeing the time was 13:45.

_Fucking hell, it was almost two._

He looked straight again, eyes falling over his stomach. He saw the muscular, blonde arm sprawled out over his middle; keeping him loosely pinned. He looked to the left of him, seeing the passed out face of Niall - mouth open, deep snores slipping from his parted lips. He blinked, looking back down at his body. The various stains reminded him of last night, and the events in which led to this moment. Sitting up more, he shoved the white skin from his body; swinging his legs over the bed. He groaned once again, feeling his head spin from the quick movement.

"Fuck," he murmured, voice cracked and broken. He used his knees for leverage as he pushed himself up, padding over to the mirror. He took a glance at his naked reflection, eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. He raised his palms to his eyes, roughly rubbing the remaining drowsiness from his vision. Mouth falling open, his eyes flitted over his appearance. He was covered in paint, dried come and bruises; his hips seeming to suffering the worst of the damage. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to push some volume in the side in which was flattened from his previous position.

Zayn turned from the mirror, looking back towards the bed. He listened to the loud snores, and wondering how the fuck that didn't wake him up. With a shake of his head, his gaze dropped to the floor at the messy scattering of various clothes. He bent down, trying to sort his from the blondes. He grabbed his ruined tank and jeans, pulling them on quickly. He groaned and winced, feeling the burning aches coil through his body. His legs hurt like fuck, and he didn't know how he'd make it down the stairs, let alone back to his room. He didn't bother claiming his boxers, smirking at the thought of leaving them as a little 'present' for Niall. He walked to the door, not bothering with be quiet, as he soon realised that Niall was definitely a heavy sleeper.

He closed the door behind him, the smell of the house not much better than the stench of the blonde's bedroom. He once again made his way through the unconscious bodies, stepping on them, and over them to get where he wanted. He passed Harry's room, seeing his bedroom door was left wide open. He risked a glance, seeing his bare arse on display and his arm slung over an equally naked girl who he recognised from his English. He smirked, continuing on his root towards the stairs. He stared down at them with horror, before softly patting at his thigh in encouragement. "Come on," he said, lowering his foot down on the wooden stair. He winced, feeling the muscle pull at the back of his leg, but he powered through, ignoring the sharp pains leading up to his spine, and his backside. It took him five minutes to make his way down all thirty- _fucking_ -two stairs, which he embarrassingly admitted. He trudged towards the hallway, carrying the dead weight of his body to the front door.

"Zayn." _Oh, for fuck sake._

Could he not just go home in misery without being distracted?

He turned to the voice, spotting Louis in the kitchen, nursing a cup of tea in his hand. The blue eyed boy inclined with his head for Zayn to come over. Zayn looked between the door, and the kitchen, before taking another step towards the door. 

_"Zayn,"_ Louis said again, more sternly this time. With a grunt, Zayn padded towards the kitchen, walking over to sit at the island. 

"What. I just want to go home, mate," he said, dropping his head down to his folded arms. 

He heard a weaker, rougher version of the obnoxious chuckle, due to the alcohol no doubt. "Did you have a good time?" He asked, sipping at his tea.

Zayn shook his head, pushing himself up to prop him up on one hand. "No. I always seem to leave this house with a fucking migraine, the size of America," he muttered, focusing his eyes on the male in front of him.

Louis smirked, leaning over to chuck Zayn a pack of aspirin. Zayn groaned in relief, bowing his head in thanks. "I owe you my life," he said, pulling out two of the pills.

The other male laughed, offering his tea for Zayn to gulp down with the pills. Zayn batted his hand away, tilting his head back; swallowing the pills dry, causing Louis to let out another laugh.

"You're coming back next week, yeah?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he lent his weight back against the counter.

Zayn scoffed, "Fuck, no, man. No chance in hell of me ever setting foot in the house again."

Louis smirked, leaning forward slightly. "But, I haven't had my chance to have a bit of fun with you yet."

The dark skin boy rolled his eyes, but let out a laugh at the way Louis comically wagged his eyebrows, despite himself.

He rubbed at his arm, wincing as he brushed over a bruise. He looked around the house, seeing the bodies scattered everywhere. He scrunched his nose, vaguely smelling vomit, and piss. "I'd hate to be you, right now," he said, scoffing.

Louis frowned, staring at the mess. "If you were nice, you'd offer a hand."

"Good thing I'm not nice, then, isn't it?" He said, smirking at the blue eyed boy.

The male matched his smirk, wetting his lips and simply staring back at Zayn for a few silent seconds.

"Zayn."

He turned his head to the voice, watching as the blonde walked over to him, his deep blue eyes fixed on Louis. Zayn smiled, watching as Niall flung his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

"What were you two talkin' 'bout?" He asked, eyes still fixed on Louis. He almost looked _angry_ , which confused Zayn. Was he angry because Zayn left the bed without saying goodbye?

Niall's fingers moved up to rub the back of his neck, long fingers pressing down against the hard, tensed muscle, causing Zayn to lean back into the fingers, letting out a soft, satisfied groan.

Zayn struggled to talk as Niall's fingers massaged his tense neck. "W-We were... Um, discussing... Oh, God, a little to the left," he pleaded, his hand reaching over to squeeze the blonde's knee.

Niall's thick fingers complied, inching towards the left and pressing down hard, causing Zayn's back to arch, slightly. "Is that better, baby?"

Zayn could practically hear the smirk on those Irish lips, and if Niall's fingers weren't loosening his neck, he would have given a sharp elbow to Niall's ribs for the nickname.

But, he couldn't because _fuck_ , Niall's fingers.

Louis coughed roughly, gaining Zayn's attention. He opened his eyes, staring at him. "We were talking about cleaning," he finished, sipping at his tea; his knuckles looking white as they held the handle, tight.

Zayn nodded, watching as Louis and Niall seemed to share a intense stare. He turned his head to Niall, feeling suddenly awkward under the silence.

"I'm gonna go," he said, pushing himself up from the stool. He nodded towards Louis, tossing the packet back to him. "Cheers for the pills, man," he said, gratefully.

Louis winked, taking another sip of his tea.

He looked down at the blonde, who was frowning at his fellow brother; his hand having slipped down to the small of his back. 

"I hope to never see the pair of you again," he said, moving away from the breakfast island, before patting Niall's shoulder, and walking out of the kitchen.

He reached the door, pulling it open before he was halted again, just like last time by the familiar Irish voice.

"Zayn," Niall said, jogging over to him. He placed his hands on Zayn's hips, pulling him close as pressed a kiss to his lips. Zayn's eyes fluttered shut, their lips slotting together. He parted his lips as Niall's tongue slid over the seam of his mouth, allowing him access. He raised his arms and wrapped them around his neck, lazily crossing his arms over the broad neck. Niall groaned into his mouth, causing a sharp twinge of heat to flutter down his neck. Their tongues slid together, licking at the inside of each other's mouths. 

Zayn slid his arms down Niall's chest, pushing him back a few inches. He sucked in his own lips, keeping his hand pressed to the center of his chest. He shook his head, a little lost for words. He stepped back, beginning to walk down the porch steps. "Later," he said, raising his hand in a weak farewell.

This was the second time in week that he was leaving that damned house the next day, something in which he wasn't fucking fond of. He heard the door close after a while, crossing the street to head back to the campus.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Must apologise for the spelling errors. Wouldn't really call them spelling errors, more like my fingers type a completely different fucking word out. And, I'm too lazy to go through it. I need a beta, really. Also! I need some new music suggestions to listen to, while writing. So, if you have any ideas, on music in which you think would fit with this, let me know.

The following Tuesday, Liam met himself outside of English, two cups of coffee in his hand. He had a huge grin on his face, a healing bruise on his jaw. Liam was just full of energy, and Zayn really had no clue how he did it.

Ever since they were kids, Zayn was always the first to pass out after a long day of digging up worms, or seeing how far they could jump from the jungle-gym. Liam just never seemed to burn out, and Zayn knew that he never would. The younger boy took track in secondary school, and was amazing at it. He was good at pretty much any sport you threw at him, and he defeated everyone will a proud smile. By proud, he means proud of everyone else. Liam was always weird like that. Zayn groaned, deep circles under his eyes from staying up till three, still trying to figure out that _fucking_ article. He'd re-written it all, before deleting it with a sudden flash of panic that it still wasn't good enough. He cared about the magazine, it was what he'd wanted to do for a long time, and he certainly wasn't going to fuck anything up.

"You're a fucking godsend, mate." He walked over to his best friend, taking one of the cups; receiving a slap on his back.

"It's alright. I thought you might need it," Liam said, giving Zayn's shoulder a squeeze. Zayn took a mouthful, burning the roof of his mouth, but uncaring.   _An Americano._ Liam knew him well.

"You thought right." Liam laughed, nudging Zayn along for a walk.

"Come back to mine?" He asked, sounding oddly hopeful.

Zayn groaned, his cheeks puffed with burning coffee as he stared at the younger of the two. Ever since he'd come to the first party, Liam seemed to think that now he could get Zayn to come over _all the fucking time_.

"Please, Z."

_Oh, no. Not that fucking nickname._

The name Liam had conjured when he couldn't pronounce Zayn's name when they first starting talking. Liam had a speech  
impediment, and that was his way to go around it. Simply say the first letter of his name.

"It's not a fucking day time party, is it? I'm still fucked from that one on Friday. I don't think I'm prepared to have one in the middle of the week.

Liam laughed, "Nah, we'll just chill. Play the PS3? A couple of cokes?" Zayn smiled, nodding. Liam had only recently started to drink, having found out he had full function of both of his kidney's. He was still careful, though. He never drunk unless he thought it was necessary.

"Alright, I can jump on board with that," he replied. Liam grinned, eyes crinkling at the edges.

"Sweet." The pair started their journey towards the Kappa Delta Phi house, both sipping at their coffee as they made easy conversation. "We haven't really had a lot of time to talk, since the party. What happened?" Liam asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. But, Zayn knew what he was like. And, what he was searching for.

"I slept with Niall," he said, simply taking a drag from his cigarette in which he'd lit a few minutes prior. Liam chocked on his coffee, spluttering it out. Liquid falling down his chin, before he quickly wiped it away from his chin.

"Zayn! I fucking told you to be careful." Zayn raised an eyebrow, exhaling through his nose.

"We fucked, I don't see how that's not being careful, man. We're not dating, or anything," he said, rolling his eyes. "Enough about my currents affairs. What about you?" He asked, securing the filter between his lips. The younger boy shook his head, allowing the subject to drop.

"What about me?"

"Have you fucked anyone," he asked, looking towards the boy with furrowed brows, like it was the most obvious thing.

"No."

"Do you wanna?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Danielle." Zayn remembered the pretty face, having seen Liam and her making out briefly at the first party.

"Being the guy that you are, you probably want to take her out on a date first, right?"

"We're not all like you, mate."

Zayn shrugged, "World would be a better place if everyone was."

Liam laughed, nudging Zayn with his shoulder. The boy jogged up the steps to the house, and Zayn took one large drag of his cigarette, before dropping it to the floor, and crushing it. He exhaled quickly, following after his best friend. Liam simply pushed the door open, leaving it open for Zayn. Following suit, he entered the house, before closing the door with his foot. He ran a hand through his hair, following Liam as he made his way to the living room.

"What do you wanna play?" Liam asked, walking over to the wide collection of games. Zayn dropped himself down on the single, leather armchair, resting his forearms on his knees.

"What's the newest game you've got?"

Liam flicked through them, before pulling out one game. "FIFA," he stated.

Zayn smirked, shifting in his chair. "Ace. You know you're gonna lose." Liam laughed, before setting up everything needed. He handed one wireless control to Zayn, before moving to sit on the large couch.

As they watched the PS3 load, setting up the game, a voice pulled them out of their trances. "Morning," Harry said, bounding down the stairs.

"It's afternoon, mate."

Harry grunted, walking towards the pair. "Same thing." He smirked, spotting Zayn. He moved to sit down on one of the arm rests on Zayn's chair, slapping his arm. "Good to see you, Zayn."

Zayn nodded, raising his eyes at Harry's comfortable position, leaning back against the armchair, practically taking all of the space. Harry was simply clad in his black boxers, and a pendent.

Zayn looked over his body, gesturing to him with his hand. "Keeping it simple, I see."

The green eyed boy laughed, running his fingers through his hair. "You're lucky he's even wearing that," Liam chimed in, rolling his eyes. "It's a blessing," The older boy couldn't help but scoff at that, turning his attention back to the screen.

As their countries came up, Liam took England, while Zayn took Barcelona. The match kicked off, and Zayn took the first goal, receiving a pat on the back from Harry in congratulations.

"Lucky shot," Liam said, frowning. The game continued, bringing it to 2-0 to Zayn. He was aware that Harry had been playing with his hair for the last ten minutes. He looked to Liam in reassurance, and he remembered the younger boy telling him that Harry was just a very touchy-feely type of person. At half time, it was a draw, and both Liam and Zayn were on the edge of their seats, sharing quick witted comments.

Zayn's head turned, hearing a female voice. "I'll see you later, then, yeah? You've definitely got my number?" A tanned blonde was standing their, clutching her things to her chest, as Niall nodded, shoving his hands inside of his pockets.

He nodded, smirking at the girl. "Yeah, I'll give ya a call."

_Liar._

She giggled, and _God_ , Zayn hated that word. It was just so childish, and fucking ridiculous, but it was the only way to describe it. She _giggled_.

Niall lent forward, pressing a kiss to the girl's lips, his hands still shoved in his pockets. Zayn rolled his eyes, turning back to the TV as Niall walked the girl to the door. He watched as Liam scored a goal, standing up and cheering.

The dark skinned male's lips parted, using his right hand to gesture to the TV. "I wasn't fucking paying attention!"

Liam shrugged, "Not my fault."

Zayn grunted, determination set across his face. "You're fucking going down, Payne."

As they replayed the shot, Zayn growled, receiving a squeeze to the neck from Harry. The door slammed shut, and the sound of heavy footsteps sounded; walking into the living room.

"Who was that?" Harry asked, not removing his eyes from the screen.

Niall trudged over, grunting in response. "Fuck if I know. Stacey, maybe? Lacey?" He must have spotted Zayn, because he fell silent after a second. Zayn focused on the game, frowning in concentration. He scored a goal, causing him to drop his controller down on his lap, slapping his hands together. Liam covered his hands with his face, rocking back against the couch.

"Fucking yes," the older lad said, leaning forward slightly as the replay came on. "Look at that, Liam. Look at fucking that. Pure skill," he said, his arm outstretched to the TV. The game continued, some of the other brothers gathering around to watch the match.

In the end, Zayn won.

_Of course._

He watched the younger boy rub at his face again, before standing up and shaking his head. "Unbelievable."

Zayn smirked, watching as his best friend walked into the kitchen. He laughed, "Ah, Liam, don't be like that."

Niall slid over the couch, taking Liam's place as he grabbed the controller. "My turn," he said, looking towards Zayn.

He shook his head, standing up. "Play Harry." He handed the controller over to the curly haired male, moving to stand up, also. He ruffled his fingers through the thick curls. "Do us proud, son," he joked.

He received a slap to his arse, before getting a stern reply. "Yes, sir."

Zayn walked towards the kitchen, hearing the blonde mumble something harsh to Harry; unable to hear, as he was out of ear shot. He entered the room, watching as Liam moved towards the fridge. He raised his hands as his best friend chucked a can of coke in his direction, easily cracking it open in a matter of seconds.

"The boys really seem to be taking a liking in you," Liam said, leaning back against the fridge.

Zayn jumped on the counter, taking a deep sip from the carbonated drink. "They're not bad. Don't think I could stand being in any of their company for too long, though."

"Except Niall."

"Especially not Niall," he countered, swallowing.

Liam frowned, looking down at his can. "You alright with what happened a while ago?"

Zayn raised his eyebrows, the can at his lips again. He spoke over the rim, "Me kicking your arse?"

"With him being with that girl."

He frowned, shrugging as he placed the can down on the side. "I don't care, he can do what he wants. I told you that." The other male stared at Zayn for a few more seconds, obviously not pleased with his response. He shook his head, before taking a sip from his can.

 

A few hours later, Zayn found himself sat at dinning table in which he knew was never used. He'd been helping Harry with a essay that he had due in next week. The other boy also taken English, but they had different classes due to Harry's major in Sports. He was currently reading through the draft of the younger boy's essay, a red pen in his hand as he marked off sections in which didn't make sense. He changed the grammatical errors, using green to indicate how the word was actually spelled.

"It's got potential, but some parts are repetitive. When you talk about darkness and concealment, you have to be certain of an example. You need to be able to debate," he commented, scooting closer. "Like here, you write 'It's made obvious that Lady Macbeth is consumed by madness by the beginning'. But, you haven't given any quotes, or examples as to why you think that. I'm not saying that it's wrong, but you need to show that you understand it from each angle. Do you see?" He said, looking up to meet the green eyes focused intently on him.

"Can you give me an example?" He asked, chewing at the bottom of his pen.

Zayn nodded, looking back down to the paper. He wet his lips, placing the nib of his pen over a section, to gently highlight it. "For this part, you could say, "I believe that Lady Macbeth was engulfed by madness from the beginning because blah, blah, blah. You go on to add quotes, and meat out your reason. _However_ , I also believe that blah, blah, blah."

Harry nodded, eyes scanning over the errors. He laughed, "I'm too stubborn, I guess? Only believing in my theory."

The older boy smirked, "It's alright. I had the same problem. I was too convinced in my own answer, that I didn't step back to look at the other theories. Also, another thing you need to add it critical analyse. Here, I'll write down a few people you can look into." He jotted down a few names at the bottom of the page, before sliding over the paper to Harry. "There you go, mate."

Harry grinned, removing the pen from the corner of his mouth, revealing a black stain at the corner of his lips.

Zayn's eyes widened before bursting out with laughter, touching his own lip. "Rookie mistake."

The other lad raised an eyebrow, before touching at the corner of his mouth, and pulling away to look at his fingers. He smirked, looking up at Zayn. "Oh, I bet you think that's hilarious, don't you?"

"I do actually, yes."

Harry licked at the smirk on his lips, the tip of his tongue touching the discoloured skin, his tongue coming off slightly black.

Zayn scoffed, gesturing to the younger boy's naked chest. "You can add that to your collection of ink."

The younger of the two stared down at his chest, looking over the wide assortment of tattoo's. He laughed, before looking up at Zayn, staring at the sleeve on his forearm. "We seem to share a liking for tattoo's.

"We apparently do."

The pair laughed, falling into easy conservation. They discovered that they had a lot in common, from their love of tattoo's to their shit footwork in football. After another ten minutes, Zayn had a scrap piece of paper out, and he was sketching out a new design for Harry.

"Then, you could have the shading here," he said, licking at his bottom lip, shading one side of the wings.

"That looks so awesome. Where would you suggest putting it?"

Zayn looked up, allowing his pencil to hang loosely between his fingers. He looked down at the two swallows, before back up at Harry's chest. He lent forward, poking the end of his pencil over his collarbone. "I reckon here would look really good," he said, raising the scrap of paper to the green eyed boy's skin. "Yeah, definitely here."

"Where's Zayn?" Niall's thickly accented voice broke their conversation, a hint of anger in his voice.

An unfamiliar voice answered, "He's in the dinning room with Haz."

A few seconds later, the blonde pushed through the closed double doors, a frown etched on his face as he looked over his and Harry's position. "What are you two doin'?" He asked, voice laced with annoyance.

Zayn brought the drawing down to the table, "I was helping Harry with his essay."

The blonde walked over, hands shoved into his long shorts. He stood between the two of them, staring down at the table.

He jabbed one, thick finger down on the drawing of the two birds, before looking down at Zayn with a raised eyebrow. "This don't look like an essay."

Zayn frowned, "We finished it. This is just a sketch for a tattoo."

"Cheers again, mate. I'm definitely gonna get it." Harry added, leaning over to place a hand on Zayn's forearm.

Zayn nodded, "No problem." He looked up at the blonde, who seemed to be glaring down at Harry's hand on his inked skin, before looking away and meeting Zayn's eyes.

"Mind if I talk to ya for a sec?" He asked, his blue eyes aphotic. "Privately," he added, taking a glance over to Harry.

Zayn looked over the boys, watching as they almost _glared_ at each other. He coughed, pushing himself up from the table. "Sure."

Niall finally tore his eyes from Harry to look at Zayn, a slight smirk on his face. "C'mon," he encouraged, heading out the room and towards the stairs. Zayn looked back at Harry, an eyebrow raised. He followed Niall, jogging up the stairs after him.

"What did you need to talk about?" He asked, walking towards Niall's room.

The blonde opened the door, giving a sluggish shrug of his shoulders. "In here," he said, waiting for Zayn to walk in first.

He complied, walking into the dark room. Zayn noted how the curtains hadn't been pulled back, and his room was just as messy as he remembered. He looked at the floor, seeing that his boxers were no longer there.

"Blondie, wh--?" He turned around, before being suddenly cut off by another mouth against his own. Teeth crashed together, in a desperate, wet kiss. Niall's hands found Zayn's hips, his fingers roughly digging into the bruises which were left from their last interaction. Zayn whimpered, his hands instantly sliding up to fist at the blonde hair.  
His body was roughly slammed against one of the walls, the breath being knocked from him. Niall's tongue invaded his mouth, licking at the back of his teeth, and the roof of his mouth. Zayn moaned, tugging at the hair in his fists as their heads tilted to gain deeper access.

The hands on his hips suddenly tightened, and he was twisted around; the front of him now being pressed against the wall. His wrists were now captured and brought to the top of his head, held together by one, large hand. Zayn gasped, feeling Niall rut his hips against his arse, causing his head to roll back slightly. He bit down on his bottom lip, feeling the gradual, deliberate roll of the young blonde's hips against him; teasing him beyond belief. He felt his dick twitch in his boxers, taken off guard by this sudden act of animalism. He moaned, as one of Niall's hands moved to the front of his jeans, palming him roughly through the material. He bucked up into the hand, rolling his head back against the other male's shoulder. He had no fucking idea where this had suddenly come from, but he'd be damned if he were to turn it down. Fuck, he didn't even think he could, if he wanted to. Niall's hand teased him for a while longer, having him on the verge of begging as the fingers traveled up to his belt, and expertly pulled apart the buckle. Each move was impatient and abrupt, leaving him a little lost for breath. Once his jeans and boxers were yanked down in one go, a rough, feverish hand grabbed at his backside, causing him to whimper, once again.

_Don't you fucking dare make this a habit._

The febrile breath against his neck was enough for him to tilt it to the side, another pleasure filled sound slipping from his lips as Niall's own connected with his flushed skin. His damp lips seemed to be searching for a spot on his neck, leaving indelicate kisses along the expanse of his neck. As his teeth brushed his pulse, Zayn pushed back in the hand still clutching his backside as he chewed on his bottom lip.

The Irish man let out a thick, slow and menacing laugh. "That a bit sensitive?" Before Zayn could open his mouth and even make a motion, the blonde's sharp teeth clamped down against a section of muscle. Zayn winced, yet moaned at the same time, the pleasure and pain working against each other to create an indescribable  
feeling.

Niall's teeth continued to incise further and further into his skin, no doubt drawing blood. He could feel the intense pulse under the mouth, the nerves in that part of his neck burning, and screaming for relief that didn't come. He gasped once again as a finger slid over his arsehole, teasing him with rough strokes.

"Does that feel good, baby?" Niall's hoarse voice was suddenly right beside his ear, his slick, heated tongue sliding over the heated skin.

Zayn felt the sweat begin to collect on his forehead, and at the base of his spine. The cool air hitting the throbbing skin on his neck, causing him to hiss in pain. Niall's finger slipped inside of him, another strange feeling, as the blonde's fingers weren't slick.

_Feels fucking good, all the same._

Zayn's cock was completely hard now, tightly compressed to the wall. Pre-come surfaced on his slit as Niall began to pump his broad finger, leaving barely any time before sliding another one in. Zayn's back arched at the touch, his hips pressing back against the blonde's. Niall's mouth returned to his neck again, beginning to suck the damaged skin; causing a sharp shoot of euphoria to travel down his spine.

"Answer me," the voice growled, causing Zayn to _whimper_.

Zayn's lips parted to speak, but no words surfaced; his mind clouded with fervor and passion.

Niall's fingers curled slightly, teasingly brushing over his prostate, and his back arched, once again. He struggled against the hand pinning both of his wrists to the wall, needing to grab onto something.

"Y-Yes," he breathed, not having enough energy to give longer answer.

"What was tha'?" Niall asked, biting down against a protruding vein, while simultaneously adding another finger, and curling.

"O-Oh, God, y-yes..." He moaned, voice cracking as he ground his arse back against the strong, and powerful fingers. The fingers that had him a panting mess, right now. His stomach began to tense with anticipation, a knot forming at the bottom. His chest and groin flushed with heat, his thighs desperate to squeeze close. He clenched  
around the fingers, eliciting a moan from his own lips.

Niall roughly provoked his prostate, slamming his fingers against the tender spot. He cried out, the veins surfacing in his neck. "Say my name."

_Jesus Christ._

He was literally falling apart in Niall's grasp, and he didn't like it one bit. He bit down on his bottom lip. He chewed on the flesh, wanting to keep at least _some_ of his dignity.

Niall growled, biting down on his neck until he was certain blood was dripping down his skin. He moaned, muscles tensing. "Say it, or you won't come." He roughly pressed his fingers deeply into his prostate, holding them there, and stroking the tips of his fingers over the bundle of nerves.

"Niall, fuck. Niall," he panted, attempting to circle his hips as he felt himself on the edge. The fingers tightened on his wrist, no doubt leaving more bruises over his skin.

"Good boy," Niall purred into his ear, giving another sharp thrust of his fingers against his prostate, pushing Zayn to the brink. With a loud, broken moan, he came hard; thighs trembling, and back arching. His climax caused his mind to haze over as he released himself against the dark wallpaper, nails scratching against the wall.

Niall continued to lazily thrust his fingers in and out of Zayn as he came down from his high, his thighs shaking from holding his weight, and the final ounce of energy drained from his body.

He whimpered as the fingers were removed from him, and he trembled as the familiar growl sounded close to his ear. His hand tightened around Zayn's wrists, while Niall's damp lips brushed up along the aching mark to the shell of his ear.

"I think that's a good indication to anyone who didn't get the message, before."

If Zayn had the energy, he'd frown and turn to ask what exactly the blonde meant by that. But, he didn't, so he just let his head hang there. His arms fell to his sides as Niall released his wrists, his hands aching as the blood flow returned to his fingers.

The heat from Niall's body was suddenly gone as he listened to the footsteps leaving the room, and the shutting of the door. Zayn shook his head, his eyes opening wide as he tried to regain his sight. Black spots were casting over his vision, and he groaned in confusion. His chest was still rising and falling unnaturally fast, and he forced himself to get himself together as he bent down, attempting to pull his boxers, and jeans back up. The weight was too much, and he found himself falling back against the floor, his back hitting the carpet with a loud thud.

He groaned once again, staring up at the ceiling as he body lay sprawled out on the floor.

"What the fuck just happened?" He breathed, shaking his head.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of this feedback is amazing, thank you so much to everyone that's commented and left kudos. It means a lot. Anyway, on with the show. We're getting more into the story now, going into back stories. Hope you all enjoy.

After at least ten minutes of simply lying there, Zayn finally stood, and fixed his clothing; combing his fingers through his hair. Shaking his head, he opened the door and walked through the hall. He yawned, the power from the caffeine beginning to fade from his system completely. He jogged down the stairs, heading back towards the dinning room. He saw Liam bent over the table, studying his drawing.

"You should see some of his other stuff, it's crazy how good he is."

Zayn smirked, strolling into the room. The younger boy had always been his biggest fan, he was always the one to tell him not to give up. Liam was the one to pick up his paintbrush when Zayn threw it across the room, or wipe the acrylic from the floor when Zayn smashed another easel. "Are you showing me off again, Liam?" He asked, walking towards the table.

His best friend laughed, "Alwa--." Liam's sentence cut off short as he looked up from the drawing, meeting Zayn's gaze. His eyes were slightly off to the side, not quite meeting eye contact. He frowned as Liam's mouth parted, and slowly stood straight.

"What? What's wrong?" He observed Harry's almost identical stare, eyes once again off target. "What the fuck are you two staring at?"

Liam was the one to speak up, moving to walk towards Zayn. "Fucking Christ," he breathed, tilting his head to the side. Zayn suddenly winced at the unexpected pain, and he realised that Niall must have left a pretty dark bruise. But something about the way Liam and Harry were staring at him made him think that this wasn't just a run-of-the-mill hickey.

He groaned, pushing away Liam's hand as he walked towards the closest mirror. Zayn turned his head to the side, his breath hitching in his throat. His eyes widened, taking in the fucking _wound_. It wasn't a fucking love bite, it was a God damn injury. Blood was smeared across his tanned neck, and he could see the prominent indents of teeth close to his jugular.

"He fucking bit me! I mean, he really fucking bit me." He spat, lifting his fingers to carefully probe around the flesh wound. Something stirred inside of his gut, and it wasn't a good feeling. _Fucking far from it_.

Niall had _marked_ him. Like meat. Like a butcher would mark meat.

_Prick._

He was not one of those people that liked being _marked_. Some people got real kicks from it, but no. Not him. He didn't mind a few bruises, or a hickey or two, but this was a fucking outrage. He was pretty fucking certain that this would scar. The longer he stared at it, the more angry it made him. His frown turned into a grimace as he remembered what the blonde had whispered to him, before leaving him like a fucking used condom.

_"I think that's a good indication to anyone who didn't get the message, before."_

_Oh, hell no._ The little prick had done it to try and attempt to show that he apparently belonged to Niall, now. Well, fuck that for a laugh. He was having none of that.

"That slimy son of a bitch," he growled, wincing as he poked at one of the teeth marks. "Where is he?" He asked, staring at his best friend in the mirror; altering his gaze between him, and Harry, who had also stood to see the damage in more detail.

"That's just out of order," Harry said, shaking his head.

He snapped, "It's a bit more than that, mate."

Liam swallowed, annoyance plain on his face, mixed with mild concern. "He's in the pool room. C'mon, I'll take you there."

"I'll fucking find it," he barked, muttering incoherent curses under his breath as he stormed towards where he heard that _obnoxious fucking laugh_. He pushed through the partly shut door, seeing a group of the ' _brothers_ ' gathered around one of the pool tables. Some turned when he walked in, their eyes immediately going to the ridiculous marking on his neck.

Niall hadn't turned, talking to another blonde as he sat perched on one side of the table, a pool cue in his hand. He now had a snapback on, and one arm was folded across his chest.

Zayn pushed through some of the other lads, before stopping behind Niall. He lifted his hand, whacking that fucking hat right off his stupid head. He instantly stood up, a thick frown etched on his face as he turned to look at who had just _rudely_ removed his hat. His face seemed to soften slightly as he saw Zayn, but not in fondness, more like in a smug cunt way.

"Do you think that was funny what you did?" He asked, his hands clinched into fists by his side.

The blonde scoffed, settling back down on the edge. "And, what are we talkin' 'bout here?" He asked, that smug face looking more punchable by the second.

Zayn raised his hand, his finger pointed close to the blonde's face. "Don't you fucking dare think that you can do something like that to me. I'm not okay with that shit," he snapped.

Niall still held that expression, a smirk plucking at his lips as he raised an eyebrow. He laughed, looking to the left of him before licking his lips. "Don't be a bitch, Zayn."

He felt like he could fucking see red, and he didn't think twice about flattening his palm and striking the side of Niall's face, hearing that oh-so satisfying slap of skin. His palm burned instantly, but it was worth it. The Irish man was instantly up on his feet, starting towards Zayn; face twisting viciously into anger. He was held back by a few the other lads watching, telling him to calm down.

"Do ya know who the fuck I am?" Niall spat.

Zayn shook his head, laughing once without any trace of humour. "A complete cunt, that's what you are. You ever try a stunt like that again, I'll break your fucking arm." He promised, taking a challenging step towards the blonde. The blonde who growled, and tried to push through the hold the other arms had on him. "I don't belong to you, and don't you dare think differently."

With that, he shook his head once again before turning on his heel to exit the room.

"Zayn, come back 'ere, now," the blonde ordered, the audible sound of him trying to break free notable.

"Go fuck yourself."

He walked back into the main living room, unbelievably furious. 

 _Mug._  

That's what he must have written across his forehead. Fucking. Mug.

Liam stood there, with a worried expression, biting at his fingernails in a way that told Zayn that he didn't know how to act. He sighed, knowing he needed to calm down. For his best friend's sake.

He stopped in front of the younger boy, patting his chest. "It's all good, man," he reassured.

Liam raised his eyebrows, "Yeah?"

He nodded, guiding him towards the kitchen. He shrugged, "I'm past it. I knew he was a prick, and he proved me right."

Zayn knew for a fact why Liam was so panicked, so worried as to how he'd react to something like this.

Back in the day, when Zayn's parents were still together, his father was a complete tosser. A controlling one at that, too. Vicious son of a bitch who had to have it his way, or it was wrong. Zayn was pushed around for a large part of his childhood. He was forced into his religion, even though he's still happily abides his Muslim heritage to this day. Liam grew up watching it, having his best friend come to him with a red cheek, or a particularly bruised arm from being forcefully moved around. 

Since then, Zayn never took well to orders. Not so much orders, but more like being forced into something. He didn't take well to people telling him what to do, which always ended him in trouble growing up. 

He slapped Liam's back, moving to sit at the stool he'd taken a few days ago. "Grab me a tissue?" He asked, his neck feeling slightly sticky from the dried blood. Liam nodded, moving over to grab what appeared to be a wash cloth inside; running it under the tap for a few moments before squeezing it out. He tilted his head without needing to be asked, knowing Liam would feel better with cleaning it himself. 

"Does it hurt?" The younger of the two asked, carefully moving to dab at the tender skin. 

Zayn hissed slightly, the dull throbbing of his neck annoying him more than anything. "It's not bad, but it hurts, yeah."

"Do you wanna go to the hospital?" 

Zayn couldn't help but laugh, because it was just such a Liam thing to say. "No, I think I'll survive."

"I told you he's bad news."

"And, he seemed like such a nice guy," he said, sarcastically, receiving a small laugh from his best friend.

"Yeah, I get tha' a lot."

Both Zayn and Liam turned to the voice in the doorway, seeing the blonde lean against the frame. Liam instantly pressed tighter against the wound in fright, causing Zayn to shrink back. 

"Fuck, Liam. Lighter hand, please."

"I'll take care of it," Niall said, pushing his way into the kitchen. 

Liam stared at his friend, frowning at him harshly. Zayn sighed, "It's alright."

The younger boy raised a brow, gazing down at him. "You sure?"

He nodded, "I'll be fine."

Liam set down the cloth, giving a sharp nod before walking out towards the dinning room.

A thick silence clouded the room, before Niall broke it by stepping into view. Grabbing the cloth, and looking down at Zayn. He gently used his hand to incline his head to the side, which he had to admit, took him off guard.

"I'm sorry 'bout that," the blonde spoke, voice quieter, as if embarrassed, or ashamed.

"You should be."

Niall sighed, carefully beginning to clean the rest of the mark. "Would ya believe me if I said I got jealous?"

"Yes, but I don't see  _why_ you would."

Niall licked his lips, taking a step closer. "What's mine is mine, I guess."

Zayn frowned, pulling away, slightly. "I'm not yours in the first place, blondie."

The younger boy's lips quirked at that, obviously still pleased with the nickname. He shifted on his feet, moving to stand between Zayn's legs. He carefully turned Zayn's neck, so he could easily access it. "I just don't like the way the others seem to look at ya. Makes me feel a bit uneasy."

"And, you thought the best sollution was to fucking brand me?" He asked, voice flat. He stared at the standing lad, looking at him from the corner of his eye. He flinched slightly, the cloth pressing down slightly harder.

Niall laughed nervously, "Sounded like a good idea in my head."

"Well, it wasn't."

"I realise tha' now."

They fell into an oddly comfortable silence. Niall working on cleaning Zayn's neck, while he picked one of the banana's from the fruit bowl, and helped himself.

After a few more minutes, and another banana, Niall walked over to the sink, dropping the pink tinged cloth down before running his hands under the water. "There ya go, good as new."

Zayn raised an eyebrow, swallowing another bite of banana.

The blonde smirked, walking over to stand back between Zayn's legs, staring down at him. "I'm sorry. I know  _this_ ,"he said, gesturing to the pair of them, "hasn't been goin' on long, but I don't want it to stop."

He hated it, but Zayn would be lying if he said he didn't agree. He'd been having a lot of fun with the blonde, and I guess he liked spending time with him. Granted, their time together has been short, but it's been fun, all the same. He nodded, offering the banana up to Niall, who smirked and lent down, taking a generous bite of the banana; eyes on Zayn the entire time.

"Stay over, tonight? The other lads are goin' out drinkin'. We could... Stay in maybe? Just the two of us," he coughed, seeming extremely nervous.

Zayn smiled, staring up at the Irish man. "And, you wouldn't rather go out and get completely wasted and fuck someone senseless?"

Niall stared down at the tanned male, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I think I'd rather chill tonight. With you."

Zayn dipped his head, slightly, trying to hide the odd smile tugging at his lips. "Cool."

The paler boy laughed, tilting Zayn's head up with a finger. "You're adorable."

He frowned, meeting the blue eyes. Niall really was a picture, no one could deny that. "Don't push it."

Niall licked his lips, moving closer. "You're such a pretty boy."

"Stop that, Niall."

Niall hummed, placing his hands on the tanned hips. "I love the way you say my name."

"Are you looking for another slap?"

"Kinda."

_Of course he's in to that kind of thing. Of-fucking-course._


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously blown away with all the support I'm getting. Thanks, guys. I'm feeling really shit today, and I feel so sick, so I'm just gonna center everything in the fic. Haven't had a lot of time, so it's only a short one, but I still wanted to update.

By ten, all of the boy were filing out of the house, talking to themselves about how wasted they were gonna get, or if they were gonna see another fraternity. They discussed the last fight between them and Stigma Pi, having come out as the champions, according to Harry.

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Liam asked, still a little hesitant about leaving him alone with Niall, apparently. He rolled his eyes,

"I'll be fine, man. Go on, go out and have a good time. Try and get laid."

Liam laughed, patting him on the arm before following after the other lads.

Zayn smirked, before closing the door after him. He turned back to face the house, his eyes scanning over the empty surroundings. It was odd being in a place that he knew was always packed, in a place where huge parties were held. It felt so... Empty. It was unbelievably quiet. He sniffed, walking down the hallway. He looked into each room, raising an eyebrow as each one was empty.

"Blondie?" When the blonde didn't reply, Zayn's muscles instantly tensed. He stopped moving, fists tight at his sides. He didn't like shit like this. It made him nervous, on edge. "Blondie," he repeated, voice stern. "Fucking Christ," he breathed, taking another step into the living room. He blindly slid his hand up the wall, trying to find the light switch. His fingers encountered something cool, and he flipped the light.

The dark room lit up immediately, shedding light across the large expanse of space. His head snapped over to the movement, Niall's body suddenly popping up from the couch. He made a low distinctive noise, causing Zayn to stumble back against the wall. His foot caught on the door frame, his heel catching. He groaned in fright and panic, falling back against the hard wood floor with a sharp smack; his arm catching on the desk tucked on the inside of the door.

He continued to groan as he lay flat against the cold floor, eyes closed. His chest heaved in fear, shaking his head as he heard the obnoxious laugh. "You're a dick."

Niall continued to laugh, gasping for breath as it increased in volume. He padded over to him, moving to stand over him. Zayn slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the blonde who was smirking down at him.

"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to help me up." He said, after a few minutes of simply staring at each other. Being under Niall like this was intimidating, locked under eyes like that and a killer smirk did things to anyone.

The blonde laughed, reaching both his hands down to grab at Zayn; easily lifting him from the floor. "You're a bit jumpish, eh?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"No. You just took me off guard." He walked towards the couch, before his wrist was suddenly grabbed and he was jerked into Niall's arms. The blonde wrapped his arms around his waist, that smirk still on his fucking face.

Zayn frowned, slowly rubbing his hands down Niall's chest. "What?" He asked. "What are you staring at?"

The blonde shrugged, wetting his lips. "Just like starin' at ya."

Zayn swallowed, forcing himself to keep eye contact.

_Don't bitch out, man._

He nodded, "I see."

"Do you?"

_Fucking Christ, what was this stupid frat boy doing to him?_

Zayn's fingers tightened in the blonde's vest subconsciously, causing Niall's smirk to increase slightly. He wanted to change the subject, because the way Niall was staring at him made him feel uneasy, and he hated feeling uneasy. "What are we doing tonight?"

"I thought we could watch a couple of films."

"I'm cool with that," he said, with a smile. Being at this close proximity to Niall was difficult. His eyes wondered his appearance. He seemed to be a big fan of tank's and shorts. Baggy one's at that, too. He also liked to pad around in white tube socks. Which he had to admit, was extremely hot. He allowed his eyes to wonder up the length of the blonde's body, eyes sliding over the large arms on display. His muscles were slightly intimidating, especially to someone like Zayn. His lean shape never seemed to gain any muscle. Maybe that's because he was too lazy to even attempt physical exercise. He slid his hand over to Niall's arm, wrapping his palm around the slightly tanned bicep. He was vaguely aware that the boy in front was _indeed_ watching him. He squeezed slightly, before allowing his eyes to continue their course. He slid his eyes up and over Niall's shoulders, and neck, moving his left hand with them.

"You have really broad shoulders," he commented. There was something about Niall's shoulders and neck that were so... _Fucking hot_. He couldn't explain it. They looked so masculine.

Niall remained silent, allowing Zayn to simply touch him. His fingers brushed over the prominent Adam's apple, moving to coast his fingers up to his chin. He smirked slightly, pressing his finger against the dimple. Zayn proceeded to slide his fingers over his jaw, and up to his hair. He hadn't really noticed, but being this close, he realised that the boy hadn't styled his hair, today. Zayn had seen him with his hair styled, and with the hat; not flat. He liked it flat. He spread his fingers, forking them trough the darker sides, before pushing them to the back of his head.

Zayn's eyes fleeted over to Niall's face, watching as his eyes closed slowly for a few seconds, before opening again. Their eyes settled on each other, and Zayn was very aware of how his stomach clenched. Niall's arms tightened around him, pulling him closer; smirk gone from his features. The blonde leaned in slowly, the speed causing Zayn's stomach to tighten even further. His fingers idly played with the soft strands of light and dark hair, his other hand still loosely fisted in the fabric of the tank. Their lips brushed, and he swallowed. His lips parted, and his eyes fluttered closed. For a few seconds, it was just the two of them sharing one another's air.

Niall's mouth slotted over Zayn's, capturing his top lip between his own. It was soft and warm, the way their lips molded together made Zayn feel a little weak. Their lips slowly moved together, but never did it escalate. It remained gentle, soft little noises from each kiss spilling from their lips. They pulled a part, staring at each other with slightly darker lips.

Zayn stroked at the hair at the back of Niall's neck, before sliding it down his shoulder, and down his chest. "C'mon, let's watch a film."

That smirk returned to Niall's face, and he licked his lips, the smug exterior returning to his face. "Go grab us some drinks, and I'll put a movie on." He said, before releasing Zayn and heading over to the flat screen.

Zayn stood there, folding his arms across his chest; eyebrow raised. "I'm certain there's something that comes after that _order._ "

Niall looked over his shoulder, a smirk still on his lips, obviously thinking that Zayn was joking. He sighed after a few seconds of Zayn not attempting to move. " _Please_ ," he said, sounding as if it was a word never spoken on his lips.

Zayn nodded, dropping his arms. He turned around, beginning to walk towards the kitchen. "Good boy," he called back.

Niall growled, and if Zayn hadn't been so far away, he knew for a fact that he would have grabbed him and made him eat his words.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos are seriously brightening my day, haha. Cheesy as it may sound. Anyway, it's been a few days - I feel better. So, back to writing!

Zayn walked back in the room, two beers secured in both of his palms as he headed to the couch. He offered one to Niall as he moved to sit beside him, securing his own beer between his thighs. 

Niall sat, eyes watching the trailers for films that had come out years, and years ago - watching intently. He looked at Zayn's hand, taking it with one hand, while he flung the other over the back of the couch; behind Zayn's head.

"Cheers, babe," he mumbled, eyes fixated back on the TV. He cracked the ring pull open with one finger, before wrapping his large, pale hand around the can and bringing it to his lips. He made a satisfied noise after swallowing, and Zayn couldn't help but roll his eyes.

_Typical._

Zayn watched the trailers, stomach clenching slightly as they were all graphic horrors. 

_Oh, dear God._

_  
_"What are we watching?" He asked, trying to keep the sudden rush of panic from his voice.

"28 Weeks Later."

_Fucking fuck. Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck._

"Oh." His voice cracked, heart rate picking up instantly.

Niall obviously noticed this because he turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Seen it before?"

Zayn could fucking tell by the blonde's voice that he was testing him. Seeing if he was scared.

"No, I haven't. Just heard of it."

The Irish lad continued to stare at him for a few seconds, Zayn's eyes still secured on the screen.

It's not his fucking fault he didn't like horror films. A lot of people didn't. It's normal.

Niall took another sip of his beer, before turning back to the screen, slowly; grabbing the remote from the other side of him. The title screen came on, showing the various options. Zayn watched as zombie's threw themselves at the screen, cuts of the film flashing in sharp cuts. Zayn physically felt nauseous, fists tightening in his jeans. His muscles tightened as Niall pressed play, causing the screen to go completely dark. 

The film kicked off straight away, and Zayn was literally on the edge of his seat. Not in the good sense either, more like in the sense of running away and hiding for the next two hours. It frightened him how quickly each person turned into a zombie. Literally in minutes of the bite, they were one of them.

He flinched as Niall put his hand on his shoulder, pulling him back to press his back against the couch. 

Zayn swallowed, trying to slyly grab the cushion to his right; pulling it against his chest. At least he could use this to discreetly hide himself.

 

After about half an our in, Zayn was all about ready to pass out. He was pretty sure his organs had shriveled, and hid. His eyes were the only thing peaking from behind the cushion, glancing at the screen every so often. He watched as the man kissed the wife he abandoned, and he started to bleed and convulse.

He flinched as he began to beat her, his body tensing. He jumped as Niall's arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders, a chuckle releasing from his thin lips.

"Never would 'ave pegged ya for being easily scared."

Zayn grunted, pushing his face deeper into the pillow. "Not easily scared, I just don't like this movie."

"You don't really know what's 'appening, considerin' you've been 'iding behind tha' pillow for the whole film."

He scoffed, because it's the only thing he could do. He was pulled back against the blonde, resting against his side, and beneath his arm.

"I'll protect you," Niall said, a smirk clearly in his voice.

"Don't be a bellend, Niall."

The arm tightened around him, and Zayn mentally cursed himself for saying the last part. 

Niall growled quietly, shifting slightly closer until their thighs were pressing tightly together.

Zayn swallowed, the heat rising up through his neck. He couldn't  _quite_ get used to that growl yet. Fuck, he couldn't really get used to Niall yet. He didn't like how weak Niall made him feel, like prey. His eyes suddenly fluttered shut as a pair of lips pressed against the side of his neck, the part of his neck that wasn't injured. He swallowed, feeling the warm tongue slide up his vein and up behind his ear.

_No. He couldn't let this happen again, couldn't let Niall think that everything would be controlled by him._

He moved his unopened beer to the side, before shifting his body slightly; Niall's mouth still teasing him with soft licks behind his ear. Zayn slid his hand up and over Niall's spread legs, sluggishly opened. He ran his fingers up the inside of his thigh, before brushing his fingers over the middle of his legs. He received a groan, and a bite to his ear in reply. Zayn twisted his neck, pressing his lips against the blonde's. He palmed Niall's covered cock, pressing the top of his palm against the base. Niall's hips rolled upwards, groaning into the suddenly desperate kiss.

The arm around his shoulders tightened, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened. Niall's other hand still held the beer, resting on his knee; fingers tightening around the can. Zayn fingers tugged down the grey material of the shorts - Niall's erection pressing harshly against the material. He waste no time in slipping his hand in the material, placing his hand over the hot length, covered by his thin boxers. He received a moan in approval, causing Zayn to smirk into the kiss. He pressed his chest against Niall's side, the hand on his shoulders slipping down to the small of his back. Zayn pressed his fingers against Niall's balls, carefully palming them in the warmth of his hand.

"Fuck," the blonde breathed into the kiss, tongue lazily slipping over Zayn's. 

He teasingly dragged his fingers up the hard length, straining against the cotton. Niall's fingers twisted in the fabric of Zayn's shirt, hitching it slightly as he let out a throaty growl. Zayn moved away from the kiss, turning his head to look down at his hand. He moved his fingers softly over the waistband of his boxers, before slipping his fingers inside. He carefully wrapped his hand around the blonde's dick, pulling it before the tight confinements of his boxers. 

Niall's face pressed against the side of Zayn's, nose pressed against the top of his cheekbone as he closed his eyes. He breathed heavily from his nose, hand sliding up Zayn's back; taking the material with him. 

Zayn leaned into Niall's breath, eyes still fixed on his hand as he began to move his hand. He kept his hand slow at first, enjoying the sharp little puffs of air against his cheek. He tightened his grip, brushing his thumb along the vein on the underside of Niall's length. He slid his thumb over the head of Niall's cock, sliding the pad over the collecting pre-come. Niall's hips rose from the couch, letting out another throaty groan. He quickened his hand, occasionally flicking his wrist on the upstroke. Niall pressed a kiss against his cheek, followed by a deep moan.

He couldn't help but smirk, knowing that he could have the  _big man_ like this. Through sex, bare in mind. But, still. 

Zayn's other hand slid down on the blonde's thigh, parting his legs even further as he squeezed the fleshy skin. As he did this, he brushed his index finger over Niall's slit, teasingly stroking it. The blonde groaned, hips bucking up into his touch.

"Jesus." Niall was all breathy, and broken voiced, and Zayn was fucking _loving_ it. 

Zayn continued with the quick movements, feeling Niall's fingers clench into his shirt, blunt nails scratching against his back.

"Zayn," the accented voice warned, clearly close to hitting his climax. He didn't stop though, or even attempt to slow down. He squeezed around the head, giving one last flick of his wrist. That was all it took, because Niall's hips stuttered up and with a deep, almost predatory like growl, he came over his himself. A few drops landed on Zayn's face, but he just continued to rub the blonde through his orgasm. He carefully removed his hand from the boy's softening length, looking down at his hand which was dripping with Niall's release. 

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he had an idea. He turned to the blonde, watching as his dark blue eyes slowly opened and focused on him. He shifted closer, biting down on his bottom lip before raising his fingers to his mouth. He instantly felt Niall's fingers tighten on him, pulling him ever closer as he swallowed roughly.

Zayn parted his lips, brushing a few of his fingers over his bottom lip, teasingly. Niall groaned, shifting in his seat, and Zayn took the queue to slid two fingers in his mouth. He'd never been a fan of his own lips, but he knew that others would disagree. He worked this to his advantage, making sure to wrap his mouth seductively around both digits. He closed his eyes, moaning softly around them. He sucked the come from his fingers, sliding his tongue over Niall's release. It was bitter, but it in all the right ways. It fitted the blonde perfectly. 

He opened his eyes slowly, removing his fingers from his mouth as he stared straight into the blue iris'. He licked his lips, probing the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

Niall groaned, leaning in slowly before pulling back. "I'm gonna go an' clean up before  _this_ gets too much," he said, gesturing to Zayn, before placing his crushed beer can on the table.

He couldn't help but laugh, watching as Niall tucked himself back into his boxers and his shorts; his vest sticking to him with come. He watched him walk out of the living room, and jog up the stairs, giving a glance to Zayn, before grunting. Zayn turned back to the TV, his smug smile falling as he realised the movie was still playing. 

"No, blondie! Come back!" He called, twisting his body around on the couch. When he received no reply, he swallowed. Panic suddenly covering him again, as he turned back to the screen. His muscles instantly tightened, chest beginning to rise and fall quicker at the blood soaked scenes. 

He grabbed the cushion once again, pulling it against his chest roughly.

_Fucking great._


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one has taken so long to write. My internet has been fucking up majorly over this past mouth. So apologies for that.

By the time most of the characters were dead, and the film drew to an end, Zayn's hands were clutching at the unconscious blonde who had easily slipped off into sleep soon after his return. The soft snores leaving his parted lips scared Zayn any time their was a tension building scene; having almost jumped out of his skin, multiple times. When the credits appeared, he was grasping Niall's bare waist, eyes wide and glued to the screen. His head snapped around the room when he heard creeks, and pops from around the fraternity house, setting him completely on edge.

Fuck, he knew he was being paranoid, but right now--

_Creek._

He let out a soft yelp, hands tightening on the pale skin as he looked at the snoring boy. "Blondie. Blondie, wake up," he pleaded, almost too desperately.

Niall grunted, shifting against the couch, pulling Zayn closer into his hold. "Be quiet," he croaked, voice thick.

Zayn whined. Of course he'd deny it later, but right now, the title screen was scaring him, and he didn't like how dark, and big the house was.

"Wake up." He shook the blonde, hands desperately holding the ashen skin. "Please, wake up."

The boy beneath him growled, hand fisting in the back of Zayn's shirt. "Zayn. Go to sleep," he ordered, frowning while his eyes remained closed.

"Please... I'm--" He stopped himself, eyes staring at the half asleep male.

_Fuck your pride, man. Just say it._

Niall seemed to be waiting for something, because his eyebrow raised ever so slightly. Other than that, his face remained scrunched with the stern frown.

Zayn coughed slightly, "I'm scared."

The blue eyes suddenly focused on him, and they seemed somewhat amused, but still soft. Niall nodded, leaning up from the back of the couch. He stretched his arms, effectively removing them from around Zayn's tense body; which left him feeling unsafe.

_Stupid._

Niall stood, grabbing the remote and turning the TV off, as well as the DVD player, before turning back to Zayn. "Ready for bed?" He asked, scratching at the small, fine hairs at the top of his chest.

Zayn nodded, removing the pillow from his lap, and placing it back in the correct corner of the couch. He took the hand offered down to him, hoisted away from the warmth of the couch. He hated to admit it, but he felt better now that Niall was awake.

_Only slightly, though._

Niall smirked, slowly moving to wrap both arms around Zayn's waist, pulling him close to his chest. "I told ya I'd protect ya, baby."

Zayn felt his neck flush, unable to get used to that nickname. But, Niall probably used that with _everyone_ he slept with, so he tried to pay it no mind. He passed it off by rolling his eyes, "And, what exactly would you do if some mad axeman just came storming in?"

Blondie laughed, "These muscles aren't just for show, ya know."

Zayn shook his head, giving one of Niall's arms a soft slap. "Come on then, muscles. Let's go to your room."

Niall frowned, staring at Zayn intently. His eyebrows knitted together, and his fingers idly played with the material on the side of Zayn's hips.

Zayn noticed this, "What's wrong? Do you want me to leave?"

"No... No, just. I don't usually 'ave people stay."

Zayn raised an eyebrow, "So, you do want me to go?" He asked, raising a thumb to point towards the front door. He tried to take a step out of Niall's hold, only to be pulled back in.

"Tha's not what I meant. The point is tha' I want you to stay." He tightened his hold on Zayn's hips, still frowning at the dark skinned lad as if this was his fault.

_Oh, fuck me. He wants me to stay._

Zayn nodded, trying not to show how utterly this pleased him.

_Thank you, pride._

"Looks like i'm staying, then." He said, grabbing Niall's hand. He pulled out of the hold on his hips, taking a step backwards. He smiled at the blonde, pulling him towards him with one hand. He dragged him towards the stairs, their eyes holding.

_Fuck, why does this feel so intense?_

Niall squeezed Zayn's hand, the frown still formed between his eyebrows. He allowed himself to be tugged towards the stairs, all the same. Zayn didn't hesitate before climbing the stairs, his hand still holding onto Niall's. The blonde followed him up, their eyes still locked despite the dark. As they reached the top of the stairs, the only light was from one of the windows at the end of the hall, shedding light down the long stretch of carpet. Niall moved forward, softly pressing Zayn to his door. It was different from when they had sex. Desperate, and burning with want. This was different. Niall's hands wrapped around his waist; two large palms flattened, pressed against the small of his back. Niall moved forward until their chests were compressed, and his forehead was pressed against Zayn's. Their noses nudged together, breath fanning over each other's face. Zayn wrapped his arms around Niall's broad neck, pulling him in as their lips connected. It didn't heat up, the kiss consisted of gentle brushes of lips, and small flicks of tongues.

Niall opened the door, carefully guiding Zayn in; their lips still attached. It was like deja vu, this whole scene. But, a more... Intimate version. The door closed behind them, and their hands still clung to each other. Zayn took a step back, removing himself from Niall's hold. Their eyes were still locked, barely blinking. Zayn grabbed the bottom of his own shirt, before pulling it up and over his head. He dropped it to the floor, his styled hair even more messed. He proceeded to unbuckle his belt; unfastening his jeans before slowly removing them from his thin legs.

"Your turn," he breathed, watching the blonde marvel over his tattooed chest.

Niall didn't hesitate before pushing down his shorts, stepping out of them easily.

The pair both stood there in their boxers, eyes fixated on the person in front of them. Zayn stepped forward, running his hands down the flat planes of Niall's chest. The blonde still looked slightly sceptical. "You sure you don't want me to go?" He asked. 

Niall shook his head, tugging Zayn towards his bed. He pulled up the covers, before nudging Zayn to get in first. He complied, slipping under the dark sheets. He was close to the wall, and as Niall got in after him he realised that he was boxed in. He immediately knew why he was on the inside. He didn't say anything, simply smiling slightly in the dark. He lifted his head as Niall tucked his arm under the back, moving up to press the front of his body close to Niall's side. The blonde leaned down, pressing a kiss against Zayn's lips, and he couldn't help but wonder if Niall acted like this usually? If he never had people to stay over, then surely he wouldn't.

The blonde let out a deep breath, settling his head back on the thin pillows. Zayn could see that he shook his head slightly, but he didn't ask why.

"Night, Zayn," he said, settling down.

Zayn licked at his lips, not bothering to answer the questions floating through his head. 

"Night."

"See you in the mornin', I guess."

Zayn closed his eyes, resting against the muscle of Niall's shoulder. "Maybe. I might duck out."

The blonde laughed, deep and throaty through the still air. "Alright."

Despite this, Zayn felt the arm tighten around him, and his body was pulled slightly closer. 

He didn't know how, but he felt that he had somehow just relaxed Niall a bit.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shitty lack of chapters, recently. Finished school and all my exams now, so that should definitely change. I've also changed my name, too, yes. This one is longer than my other ones, and I had a lot of fun writing it. I prefer to do longer ones, and take my time; rather than just rush to try and get them out there. So, yeah!

Two weeks after his night with Niall, he hasn't heard back from the boy. Not one text, not one call; nothing. A lot of people make no contact after fucking, but, no. Niall was one to blow some one out for spending the night. He shook his head at the memory, looking down at the time on his laptop.

_03:23 A.M._

Fuck, he'd been working on his article since eleven. He ran his fingers through his wilting hair, and re-read the more recent section. His anger had obviously affected the article, because he had to delete various curse words. He'd be off the magazine, in a second. He rearranged the layout, making sure the various patterns in the background fitted on the spread, and didn't cover the writing. He wasn't pleased with the design, but Stuart said that Perrie was right in her choice of covering the background with black and shock pink. Of course Stuart would say that. He's been desperate to get into her knickers since Uni started. Perrie liked to think she had this unspoken power over the magazine, which, she did indeed have. Thanks to the hormonal mess of their superior.

Zayn slid the laptop off his lap, before slamming the _Ctrl + S_ buttons until his fingers hurt. He'd once thought it alright to not save as frequently as he does now. That ended with him smashing his previous laptop through anger, as it'd over heated and shut down. That had been honestly fucking horrendous, and he never wanted a repeat of that. Ever. He pulled out his headphones, his ears aching from the bud-less devices. He made a mental note to pick up some more when he had the time. He stood from the bed, starting for the bathroom. What halted him was the white envelope by the door, clearly addressed to him. He frowned at the cream outing, before picking it up. He ran his fingers over his inscribed name, clearly able to see that this was done by printer. He flipped the letter over, and his eyebrow raised at the gold symbol sealing the envelop. It was the _Kappa Delta Phi_ sign.

Zayn had really had enough of that stupid fucking fraternity, but that didn't stop him from opening the ridiculous thing.

 

 

 

  
_Louis Tomlinson_

_of_

_Kappa Delta Phi_

_requests the honor of your presence_

_at their_

_Annual Black Tie Formal_

_on_

_October fourth two thousand and thirteen_

_at the_

_King Charles Hotel_

_from eight to twelve o'clock_

_Please Reply                                  Formal_

 

Zayn stared at the eggshell coloured invitation, his mouth practically hanging open. Louis had fucking invited him to some, no doubt, snobby event, in which he'd have to wear a suit and tie. He didn't belong at events like these. He didn't belong with _people_ like them. He sat down on the edge of his bed, resting his forearms against his knees as he stared down at the calligraphy.

"Fucking hell," he sighed, dropping the invitation down on the sheets. He rubbed both hands down the length of his face, before shaking his head. Gnawing at his lip, he tilted his head, glaring lazily down at the too pristine, primeval card.

One thing that bothered him the most, was the fact that it was _Louis. Fucking Louis._

Not Niall. Not Liam. _Louis._

He didn't know much about Louis, but he gave off a diversified atmosphere. It was hard to pinpoint if he was the anti-hero, or just full fledged dark. He didn't seem immediately friendly in the sense of friendship being the benefit. More like he'd use use for his own benefit, and will. He was hard to figure out, and that left Zayn worried. Worried for himself. The idea of being Louis' date churned his stomach, and caused his fists to clench. He didn't hate the guy, but he didn't like him. With a sigh, Zayn laid back down on the bed, bringing his hands to cover his face completely. Stupid fucking fraternity's. They were stupid, and fucking annoying. God, he just wanted this term to be over, so he could go home and do nothing. Literally nothing at all. He wouldn't have to deal with fucking magazine deadlines, or fraternity boys. He could just sleep, and be done with it. He ran his hand over his jaw, suddenly desperate for a cigarette.

_Fuck it._

He grabbed his cigarettes, lighter and shoes before leaving his dorm, and heading outside to the campus. It was forbidden to smoke on campus, but no body fucking checked, or cared for that matter. He opened the main door, and the cold air instantly swallowed him whole. His bare forearms received the worst of the chill, skin instantly scattering with goosebumps. He pulled out a cigarette, leaning against wall. He stopped, the filter an inch from his lips as he saw someone close by about to get into a fight. He pushed himself up from the wall, suddenly seeing a mop of curls. He strained his eyes, trying to see if it was in fact the green eyed boy. The boy stumbled, barely able to support himself.

_He was fucking drunk._

Oh, my God. Why. The. Fuck. Could he just never escape them? Was this how the rest of Uni was going to go? If so, he wanted to fucking leave. He grunted, pushing the cigarette back into the pack before shoving it back into his pocket. He watched on as three guys crowded the stumbling lad. And the closer he got, the clearer that it became that it was the inked brother.

_Harry._

One threw a punch, straight into the center of Harry's gut, causing him to double up on himself, before falling on his back. His curls splaying out around him. Zayn rolled his eyes at the little sadistic laugh Harry belted out, before being suddenly kicked in the ribs.

"Oi!" He called out, frowning as he walked towards the accumulation of people. Fuck, he would probably take a few good beatings for this. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

A dirty blonde twisted to stare at him, body angled in Zayn's direction. "Just teaching this punk a lesson."

"Oh, really? Mind if I get a few shots in? This little arsehole went to my high school. Wasn't very nice then, either." He stopped around the group, staring down at Harry with a blank face. The green eyes looked up at him, confused as to what he was saying. He looked hurt by it, and Zayn didn't either bother to give him a signal.

Another from the group laughed, gesturing to Harry. "Be my guest."

Zayn smirked, taking another step closer to the crumpled body on the floor, moving his foot as if to land a blow against the already damaged ribs. Harry flinched, and closed his eyes, so he probably missed the next few seconds. Zayn changed his path at the last moment, twisting his foot around to swipe his foot under a built looking brunette, knocking his feet out from him. He took the momentary confusion to strike, throwing his weight into his right arm, and swinging it around to hit the dirty blonde in the jaw. He wasn't surprised at the blow to the side of his head, a fist hitting at his temple, awkwardly from the left. The guy was obviously right handed, because if that had been on the other hand, Zayn probably would have been floored, or at least seeing stars. But, he didn't. He stumbled, curling in on himself; which, of course was the perfect opportunity to get a knee to the face from the blonde. He felt his nose painfully click to the side, before a gush of blood ran from his nose, straight over his lips and down his chin. He stumbled further back, trying to regain his balance. He spat a mouthful of blood on the floor, before standing straight.

The blonde laughed, "Look at that. That was very clever of you, I must admit. What's your name?" He asked, sounding completely patronizing.

Zayn tried to regain his breath, clutching his knees as he raised his head to stare at him. "Ask your Mum."

This wiped the smirk off his face, before he was moving towards Zayn again. He used his weak looking posture to his ability, before jolting forward and smashing his shoulder against the lad's stomach, and pushing him back with his entire body weight. He could see from the corner of his eye that Harry was now up, and on the brunette. Zayn's attention was brought back to his own encounter once he felt fists punching at his sides to try and get free of his hold. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's back, before slipping his foot behind one of the male's ankles, tripping him. The lad groaned, before wrapping his arms around Zayn's shoulders to try and have something to hold onto as they fell to the solid ground. Zayn acted quickly, planting a fist against the struggling male's face, hitting him straight in the cheekbone. As soon as that one was given, he raised his other (weaker) hand to throw another blow against the boy's face. Before delivering a third punch, his arms were suddenly yanked backwards, hooked between another pair and forced off the other body.

_Fuck. He knew this would end badly for his stomach._

He tried to struggled, but the lad had him in a position he couldn't break, especially not in the state he was in.

"Looks like we should teach you a lesson or two, as well as your buddy." Zayn barely blinked before receiving a blow to the stomach, a breathless groan slipping past his lips. He practically hung there, his aching body supported up by another guy; simply holding him for his friend to abuse. "Want another?" He asked, menace clear in his voice. Zayn raised his head, making a small noise to beckon the male closer. He knew it had worked as he saw the lad's knees bend, before hearing his voice closer to his ear. "What was that?" He asked, sarcastically. Zayn didn't hesistate before raising his head, and using the gathered blood in his mouth to spit in the boy's face.

_Another distraction._

Zayn tucked both arms in as he felt the boy behind him loosen his grip slightly, having seen the scene. Zayn slammed his elbows back, connecting with the chest directly behind. Zayn spun, before slamming a fist against the back of the winded boy's head, sending him down to his knees.

"Hey!" Someone yelled, and all five pairs of eyes turned to the voice.

The three boys didn't even hesistate before abandoning the fight, and fleeing. Zayn didn't even bother to see who the voice was, he stood as straight as he could, and stumbled over to Harry. Who was back on the floor. He placed his hands under Harry's arms, pulling his upper half up from the floor. Harry groaned, but messily pushed himself up on his knees, one arm thrown awkwardly over the back of Zayn's shoulders.

"Hey, wait," the voice said again, sounding closer.

"Come on, mate," Zayn said, helping Harry up from the floor. He staggered slightly with the extra weight of the drunken male, who's neck just wouldn't support his head. He slid his arm around the clumsy waist, keeping him up. The boy the voice belonged to stopped in front of them, and Zayn met the shocked eyes. He knew the boy, he was one his floor. Josh, or something. Jack? Josh. Josh? Behind him were a few other boys, looking around, obviously confused.

"Jesus Christ, are you alright?" He asked, looking between both him and Harry.

Zayn quickly nodded, needing to place one hand on his stomach from the straining pain. "We're fine, I just need to get this one home."

The boy was short, but good in muscle and build. "Can I give you a hand?" He asked. He was simply wearing sweat pants; the fight having obviously woke him up. He wondered how many people had in fact woken up, and just chose not to do anything.

He shook his head, "Nah, it's alright, man." With that, Zayn held a wilting Harry slightly closer before grunting and beginning to trudge through the campus. If those pricks came back with friends, then they'd have no hope. But, for now, it looked like... Shit, he never got his name. Josh/Jack had scared them off, as well as the other boys.

Zayn looked over at Harry a few times, making sure he was still conscious. "Hey, buddy. Stay with me now, alright. I just saved your skin, the least you can do is stay awake for me."

The boy grunted, arm still hung lazily around Zayn's shoulders; fingers twitching slightly. "Zayn," he said, voice gruff.

"What is it, man?" Why the fuck was he showing him so much sympathy. He just got his arse well and truly kicked.

"I got the tattoo," he said, a grin lighting up his bruised face.

Zayn couldn't help but grin, wanting to encourage him to stay awake. "Oh, yeah? You're definitely gonna have to show me that. Did it come out good?" He asked, looking down at the row of large, white houses stacked with fraternity and sorority households.

Harry nodded, his head lolling from side to side. "S'really good," he slurred, stumbling slightly.

Zayn looked between the houses, which were all branded with the Greek letters, and it was harder to make out which the right one was in the dark. He remembered the envelope with the smybol on the back, and searched for it... Fuck, what was it.

_ΚΔΦ_

He tightened his hold on Harry's waist, heaving his body closer to the house. His arms were getting tired, and the pain was really beginning to set in. He could feel the blood start to dry under his nose, and over his lips and chin. He and Harry must look like a complete mess. No wonder the lad from his dorm was staring at him like that. He dragged Harry up the steps, and winced as he had to grab him more closely to his injured body as he tried to make a reach for one of the pillars.

Zayn clutched his stomach for a moment, feeling his abdomen tense at the sudden sharp tug from having pulled Harry. He stopped at the front foor, before kicking at it a few times. His knuckles hurt too God damn much to even attempt a soft knock. He watched as the door opened, and Louis stood on the other side. He opened his mouth to say something, obviously snide about the early hour. But, he stopped at the sight of him and Harry, standing outside.

"You gonna let us in, or what?" He said, strugging to hold Harry up. Louis blinked, before fumbling to say something. He finally decided on nodding, and stepping aside, and pulling the door open. Zayn gave a short nod of thanks, before pulling Harry over the threshold. "C'mon, mate." He said, giving Harry a soft pat on his hip. He didn't put his hand on Harry's ribs, having witnessed that blow that had landed there. He carefully helped the boy up the stairs, making sure he didn't fall down as he climbed.

Harry suddenly laughed to himself before beginning to sing some cheesy pop shit at the top of his lungs. Some top forty crap. Zayn tried to rustle him to the hallway, before Harry's large hand clamped around his jaw. He carefully removed grabbed his wrist, and pulled it down. "Easy."

Zayn looked between the doors as Harry continued to sing, trying to remember where the boy slept. He was pretty certain he slept across from Liam, if he recalled correctly. Zayn dragged the heavy body towards the closed door, before being halted by a voice.

"Harry, what--" Liam's voice sounded behind the pair, and Zayn closed his eyes in annoyance.

_Shit._

Harry let out a quiet laugh under his breath, knocking the side of his head against Zayn's. "Busted."

Zayn groaned, before squeezing his hip in warning. "Shut up."

"Zayn?" Liam yawned, voice slightly closer. 

"Yeah, man."

"What you doing here?" 

Zayn licked his lips, before answering. "Caught Harry drunk when I was outside having a fag, thought I'd be a good guy and bring him home." Harry wobbled slightly, and Zayn's arm struggled to hold him, but he managed.

The lad behind them laughed, "I'll help."  _Fuck Liam and his nice self._ He sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid this. They were caught, and Liam was going to see their faces. He slowly turned around, pulling Harry with him. Liam's face went from tired to panic in a second, flat. "Holy shit!" He cursed, eyes widening as he brought his hands to his mouth. He took a step closer, staring between them. "What happened?" He asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, before another bedroom door opened. A ruffled brunette girl stepped out, clad in only a loose grey tank, which stopped at her thighs. A groan sounded from behind her, and Niall appeared, palm pressed against his eye. "Wha' the fuck is all the noise abou'?" He asked, eyes suddenly focusing on the scene. His eyes settled on Zayn, obviously looking at the mess of him, before switching between him and Harry. "Zayn." He stepped forward, nudging the girl out of the way to move closer. "Jesus Christ, wha' happened?"

Zayn felt his jaw clench, looking between him and the girl. It shouldn't have annoyed or  _hurt_ him as much as it did, but, he couldn't stop himself from feeling slightly betrayed. He looked back at Liam who seemed to have noticed. Of course Liam noticed. Liam could read Zayn like a book. "I'm gonna put Harry to bed," he said, before moving around him. He held Harry slightly tighter, because he felt as if he didn't, he might turn around and bruise his knuckles some more.

"Zayn--" Niall started, taking a step towards him. 

"I'm fine," he said coldly, not bothering to stop until he was walking in the room with Harry. He kicked the door closed, just to get away from the Irish lad. He walked Harry over to his bed, and carefully set him down. Once again, he didn't know why he was helping so much. He took a step back, watching Harry slump to the side. "You good from here, buddy?" He asked.

Harry nodded, lazily holding up a clenched fist; his knuckles also cracked and damaged. Zayn laughed, before lightly bumping his fist against Harry's. The younger boy smiled. "Second time you've had my back," he said tiredly, eyes more than half closed. Zayn helped get his feet on the bed, before pulling off his shoes.

"Don't make it a third."

Harry laughed, before rolling onto his side. "Cheers, Zayn."

Zayn nodded, before heading to the door. "Why were those arsehole's even staring shit anyway?" He asked, watching as Harry pressed his face in the pillow.

"I fucked his girlfriend," he replied, voice muffled.

The dark skinned male couldn't help but laugh, before opening the door. "Shouldn't have helped."  He heard a muffled, tired laugh as he closed the door behind him, seeing no one in sight. He jogged down the stairs, not bothering to even go searching for Liam, and he _definitely_ wasn't going to look for Niall.

Zayn walked straight into the kitchen, seeing Louis, Liam and Niall all there, talking in a way that looked quite tense. "I've put Harry to bed. Make sure one of you pricks check on him every now and then. Make sure he hasn't puked, or shit. He could barely walk, so I'm guessig he drank a lot." The three turned to stare at him as he spoke, but he didn't take the time to stop. 

"What happened out there?" Louis asked, staring at him with a frown on his face.

"I went out for a cigarette, saw Harry having a problem, so I offered a hand. It's not a big deal." When none of them replied, he nodded and grabbed a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. "I'm going home," he said, slipping it between his lips.

"Wait, Zayn. Let me walk you home." Liam offered, taking a step closer. 

Zayn raised his hand, before shaking his head. "I don't need you to. I'll be fine." He assured, before grabbing his lighter. He nodded in their general direction, before pacing out of the kitchen, and towards the front door. As he approached the door, a hand suddenly wrapped around the top of his arm, pulling him to a hard stop. He was spun to face the worried looking blonde.

"You're staying here, I don't want you goin' out there on your own." He stated, as if  _that_ would really work, after everything.

Zayn frowned, rougly pulling his arm out of Niall's hold. "Don't act like you give a fuck." 

Niall returned the look, but guilt was apparent on his face. "And, what's tha' supposed to mean?"

"You fucking know what it means. You haven't called, or text me in two weeks, and all of a sudden I have a little blood on my face, and you actually  _care_?" The blonde swallowed, shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn't say anything, and that's all the response that Zayn needed. "Go back to the girl in your bed, I'm sure she's just dying to have you fuck her."

"Zayn..." He said more softly this time, taking a step closer.

"I'm going home, alright? It's fine. I'm just tired," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll see you later." He opened the door and jogged back down the steps, before lighting his cigarette. He shoved his hands in his pockets, before heading back in the direction of the campus. He didn't even bother looking back.

Definitely an eventful night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, again, for all the comments, bookmarks and kudos; they make me so happy. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it took me a while to write, because I just kept changing my mind, but I'm finally pleased with the outcome. I used 'Gilmore Girls' for help at the end, in the episode Pulp Friction, I believe. Thank you to those who reminded me!

English seemed to drag on, today. Mr. West seemed particularly fickle. He would go back on himself, and say how he was wrong, and talk about how easily someone's mind could be changed. It confused the class, but, he was obviously making a point. Zayn couldn't really put his finger on it, but it was there. A life lesson. About how you needed to stick to your own opinions, and that it was okay if you changed them yourself, but don't allow someone else to change them for you.

When he left, he didn't expect to see someone waiting for him; but, he wasn't really surprised. Now that he'd met these boys, they seemed like they were fucking everywhere. The blue eyed boy lent against one of the many pillars holding the roof together, a couple of books tucked under his arm. The blue eyes focused on him, and he knew there was no point in just turning around and walking in the other direction.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, keeping a few feet from him and the lad.

"I wanted to talk to you." A cool, straight answer.

"About?"

"A few things, actually. Come on, let's go back to the house." Louis started forward, but Zayn made no attempt to move. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to follow.

"I'd rather not. You can say it now."

He received a sigh in return, with a shake of his complicated head. "Alright, fine. We'll go back to yours, then."

The dark skinned boy scoffed, "No chance." Zayn couldn't deny the enjoyment he got from watching the man grow more frustrated. "Like I said, if you wanna talk. You can say it here."

"Harry told us about the fight."

He nodded slowly, expecting something to follow. "Right?"

"You took on three fucking guys."

Zayn sighed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "And, your point is?"

"That was really stupid of you. You don't even know Harry. Why would you risk getting involved?"

"Because they were gonna beat the shit out of him, man. I would have done it for anyone, it just happened to be Harry."

Louis frowned, raising his eyebrows slightly. "I wouldn't have."

"Yeah, well. You're an arsehole, so I'm not surprised." That smirk returned to his face, and Zayn was almost relieved that it did. He didn't like type of sympathetic look Louis gave him. "Was there something else you wanted?"

The other boy nodded, taking a step closer. "A matter of fact, there is. It's about the Black Tie Formal."

Zayn's jaw immediately clenched, and he stared at the other boy with unblinking concentration. "Oh, that little thing."

Louis laughed, "Why do I get the feeling that you aren't too happy about this?"

"I think that question doesn't need an answer. You can find someone else, anyway. I don't want to go."

"You mean you don't wan to go with me," the blue eyed boy smirked.

"As much as you bother me, don't flatter yourself. I don't want to go in general."

"It's for a good cause."

"Is that supposed to change my mind?" Zayn asked, raising an eyebrow in query. "Because, it hasn't."

Louis took another step closer, obviously trying to intimidate him. He didn't move, and Louis' smirk tugged up a little higher. This was why Louis enjoyed messing with him. Because he didn't back down, or succumb to the compulsion to please the man. To him, Louis was just another wise arse, who held dangerous qualities. "C'mon, it'll be fun. There's a dinner, and a dance, and free booze all night."

"This still isn't really appealing to me."

"Pull the stick out of your arse, and just come with me, alright? You're my date, and I invited you formally. So, you're not really aloud to decline."

Zayn sighed, looking out towards the quad, before turning back to Louis. He coughed slightly, the muscle in his jaw fluttering. “I can't dance.”

Louis raised an eyebrow, “I've seen you dance. Don't try and get--”

"No, there's a different between dancing like  _that_  and fucking waltzing, or some shit.” He scuffed his foot along the floor, his hand tightening on the strap of his bag. 

The other lad stared at Zayn, and he could fucking  _feel_  it. “You can't dance.” He repeated, and Zayn frowned.

"I wouldn't fucking lie.” Louis scoffed, and Zayn's eyes shot up to glare at him. “Fuck you, then. Definitely not going, now.” He shook his head, beginning to walk away, before being pulled back.

"Zayn, mate,” the boy laughed, and his face looked so genuine. Zayn's eyes narrowed at it, shrugging out of the hold on his arm. “Look, it'll be alright. No one really cares. It's not hard, just a few steps. It'll be fine, trust me.”

"Why should I trust you?”

Louis smirked, taking a step closer to the dark skinned boy. Zayn once again held his position, not even flinching. “You shouldn't.”

Zayn rolled his eyes, shoving Louis back a few steps. “Is your aim in life to be seen as a fucking villain, or something?”

This got him another laugh, and a pat of the arm. Louis turned around, and began heading away. “I'll see you at the Formal. Wear something nice, yeah?”

Zayn scoffed, “Of course, my liege. I'd hate to embarrass you.”

Another laugh, before Louis disappeared around the corner. He grunted, before shaking his head and heading to the main hall. “Fucking stupid frat boys.”

 

Zayn nervously picked at his tie, staring at himself in the mirror. He let out a slow breath, running his hands over his breast pocket. He shook his head, licking his bottom lip as he continued to stare at his reflection. His mother had come up during the weekend to help him pick out a suit, as well as bringing along his three sisters. He thought it was completely unnecessary, but she believed it to be a suitable thing. The annoying thing was, his sisters and Mum never agreed. All having different opinions, so he knew this wouldn't end well, at all. After  _thirteen_  suits, they finally came across one they all agreed on. Also, after an argument about who pays, his dear mother got the girls to distract him with the simple help of a shop assistant. All she asked for in favour was that she got to see a picture of him and Liam together for her and Karen. He turned, hearing the knock at his door. Louis had texted him and told him that it was part of tradition for the date to be picked up. Zayn would have preferred to get there himself, but he, apparently, had no say in the matter. He took one deep breath, before heading to the door. He pulled it open, pulse heavy behind his ear. He watched as Louis looked over him, and he felt completely nervous for a moment that he looked stupid.

"Wow... Zayn, you look...” Louis' eyes racked over him, his mouth open slightly as she shook his head. He actually looked slightly taken back. He raised his hand, gesturing to Zayn before dropping it back down to his side with a slap. He laughed softly, “You look great.”

Zayn rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “I don't look stupid?”

Louis shook his head, “Definitely not.” Zayn nodded, before grabbing his keys, phone and cigarettes. “Okay, good.” He locked the door behind him, turning to stare at his  _date_. “You look really great, too.”

Louis smirked, “I know.”

The other boy shook his head, nudging Louis. “C'mon,” he started, Louis falling into step easily. “So, how are we getting there?”

"Driver.”

He raised an eyebrow, “As in...”

Louis laughed, placing his hand on the small of Zayn's back as they walked out of the dorm. “As in we have a driver to take us to the hotel.”

"Of course.”

Louis kept his hand on Zayn's back all the way to the car, before opening the back door for him. Zayn clenched his jaw, before getting in. This was weird, and something that he wasn't used to. But, he did it either way. There was no point trying to put up a fight.

He frowned, sitting in the furthest seat. “I'm kind of disappointed that there's not champagne. This isn't like my other cars,” he said, pretending to be highly offended.

Louis laughed, and the sound was actually comforting.  _Oddly_. “Sorry, I'm so embarrassed.”

The drive was surprisingly calm, the pair simply talking about what they were hoping to get a degree in. Louis was actually studying drama, which surprised Zayn. He told the blue eyed boy to prove it, and received a very precise scene from 'The Ancorman'. He couldn't deny that it was good, even adding in that he loved the film.

Once the car slowed, before stopping outside of the hotel, Zayn suddenly felt the pressure begin to pool in his stomach, once again. He took a deep breath, swallowing thickly as he looked out of the tinted windows. He looked over the expensive looking hotel, the italic style letters on the plaque high above the ground, and a large banner over the front of the door, indicating about the formal.

"Hey,” he was suddenly forced away back into the car, eyes moving to stare at Louis who seemed to be watching him with a face half filled with amusement, and half filed with a calming look. “It'll be fine, alright?”

Zayn nodded, watching as Louis leaned closer to fix his tie for him. “I just don't really know how to act in these type of situations. I've never... Been to one of these,” he gestured wildly, “ _things_  before.”

Louis laughed, before stepping out of the car, offering his hand down for Zayn to take. He rolled his eyes, but took it none the less; grateful for the slight distraction. “Just do what you want. Dance, eat, drink and act how you want. Fuck knows I will,” he shrugged, a smirk tugging at his lips as he squeezed Zayn's hand, leading him over the road. Once they got to the main double doors, Louis opened it for Zayn, bowing slightly, which also made Zayn feel slightly better, just because Louis was obviously trying to make him laugh. It worked, and he stepped inside, before the hot, burning feeling burned all the way through to his toes. Louis' hand pressed to the small of his back, as the two glass doors leading into the main area was opened by _guards_ or something.

"Forty minutes late. Right on time. Ready?” Louis said into his ear, after looking down at his watch, and Zayn just nodded as he was slowly towed into the room full of people. People turned to stare as they walked in, obviously checking to see who the next couple would be; and considering they were forty minutes late, everyone probably knew it was Louis. Zayn immediately felt out of place, the rest of the dates all being women. He instantly recognised a lot of faces, and by their expressions, he could tell that Louis hadn't told anyone that he was his date.

He caught Liam's eyes who was looking at him quizzically, Danielle standing close beside him. He smiled at him, giving him a wink before looking at Danielle, quickly. He smiled, before nodding in Zayn's general direction; the look of confusion still apparent on his face. He licked his lips, Louis leading him to an empty space. Zayn turned his head at the last second, catching another look. More like a _glare._ Niall had his hand on a red heads hip, his other hand holding a champagne flute. He looked unbelievably tense, staring between both him and Louis. He watched as the girl stared up at him, obviously trying to get his attention; with no avail, apparently. Zayn smirked, licking his lips as he turned his head away.

_Fucking prick._

Louis' hand moved from the small of his back to his hip as he stopped close to a table with glasses and glasses of champagne. He grabbed two, offering one to Zayn. He took it thankfully, looking around the room. He noticed that they seemed to be drawing a lot of attention to themselves, and Zayn couldn't help but frown, before taking a sip of his drink.

"Maybe I should of worn a dress. Then I wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.”

Louis laughed, before nodding sarcastically. “You're right, I'm sure you wouldn't be drawing more attention if you were in a _dress._ ” He said, with a roll of his eyes.

Zayn chocked around his drink, shaking his head as he tried not to laugh. “I guess you're right. Maybe not the best comparison.” Zayn had to admit, Louis wasn't that bad of company. They continued to talk for about twenty more minutes, laughing at each other and sharing sarcastic remarks. He was nudged forward when an arm wrapped around his shoulders, and he turned to see Harry grinning down at him. He opened his mouth to speak, before a wet, hard kiss was pressed to his lips, and his face was squished between two palms. His eyes widened, and he stared at Harry once he pulled away. He blinked rapidly, mouth moving, but no words coming out.

Harry grinned, slapping him on the shoulder, before pulling him back into his chest. “That's for saving my stupid arse.”

Zayn coughed, turning to Louis who seemed to be turning red in the face to stop himself from laughing. “Uh, yeah. Don't mention it.”

"Are you kidding? You're a fucking legend, mate. I thought you were gonna kick me, but then you just swept around! And, that guy fell like a sack of shit.” Zayn listened as Harry began to retell the story, and he laughed at the mentions of the witty little comments he said. In the progress, Liam and Danielle had come over, listening to the story. Liam continued to frown, obviously not happy that Zayn risked something like that. Although, he could visibly see that he was _proud_. As if Zayn was his son.

_Fucking Liam._

After Harry had finished the story, offering Zayn another kiss, in which he declined, but still got it _fucking anyway._ Harry pottered off to find his own date, once Danielle had asked where she was. His response was a simple:

"Oh, shit, yeah. I should probably go and talk to her. I haven't really seen her, though...” Before heading off, scratching the back of his head.

He watched as Liam lead Danielle to the dance floor, and he was just so fucking happy for his best friend, and the goofy grin he got on his face whenever she spoke; or the soft look in his eyes when he stared at her. It was really quite something.

"Good to see ya, mate. Didn't think you were gonna show for a second,” the accented voice said, and Zayn didn't even want to turn his head away from Liam's direction. “Good to see ya, too, Zayn.” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before turning back with a slight smile.

"You, too.” He replied, simply. Niall seemed to find this amusing, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked at Zayn from the distance between them. The girl next to him coughed, and he looked down at her, before obviously remembering she was there.

_Poor girl._

He remembered her, he didn't know where from, though. Possibly from English, before she transferred out. He suddenly remembered that she had transferred out because she changed courses. Wanting to get her degree in Medicine.

"This is--”

_Rose._

"--Ruth.”

“It's Rose.”

He hid the sneer around a sip of champagne, watching as Niall nodded, before offering a smile. “Right, yeah. I taught so.” Niall turned his attention back on Zayn, that smirk lighting up his face, once again. “You look good, Zayn.” He felt the ridiculous heat climb his neck, and he was glad for the collar.

_Stop saying my fucking name._

Louis wrapped his hand back around his waist, pulling him closer.

"He does, doesn't he?”

Niall's eyes focused on Louis, his face holding some sort of silent debate. “I didn't realise you were bringin' him.”

Louis shrugged, “No one did.”

The blonde nodded slowly, taking another sip of his drink; eyes narrowed. “Why didn't ya tell us?”

“Why would you have needed to know who my date was?”

This time is was Niall's time to shrug, forcing a grin. “We're brothers, mate. Just taught ya would 'ave told us.”

Louis nodded, “I'll remember that for next time.”

Niall mimicked the nod, the two boys having their eyes locked. Zayn could feel the fucking tension ripple between them, and by the looks on Rose's face, she could, too. She looked to him the moment he looked at her, and she smiled; silently relieved.

“Good to see you, Zayn.”

Zayn nodded, offering a genuine smile. “It's good to see you, too. You look lovely,” she said gesturing to her with his glass.

She smiled, looking down at her dress. “Thank you,” she replied, looking up to Niall for a moment. He could tell that she was hinting for him to agree, but the poor girl got nothing but a confused look.

“You two know each other?”

“Used to be in the same English,” he confirmed. She smiled, nodding in agreement. “Are you still training to be a Doctor?”

Rose grinned, showing off a pair of whitened teeth. “I am, yeah. I'm really enjoying it, too.” She seemed so proud to be doing what she was doing, and Zayn admired that. Niall didn't deserve to take this girl out. And, by the look on his face, he didn't even take the time to get to know her.

“That's great. You're missing out on English, though, I must admit,” he laughed.

“Still Mr. West?”

“Last week he recited a poem by Sylivia Plath entitled 'Daddy', and I'm pretty sure he almost burst into tears.”

She laughed, her dimples popping. “I miss that class.”

After a few more minutes of discussing their classes, and teachers, it was made apparent that Louis and Niall seemed to still be staring each other out, which was slightly unnerving. Both him and Rose shared another look, and they silently agreed.

“Anyway, it was great talking to you. But, I think I need a better drink. Louis,” he urged, placing his hand on the top of his date's back.

Louis turned to stare at him, giving him a nod before turning back to Niall and Rose. “Have a nice night, you two.”

“Thank you, you too,” Rose replied, tugging on Niall's arm.

Louis pressed his hand tighter against the small of his back, towing him away from the pair. He lead them over to a table, his face tense and taut. He stood on the other side, resting his slightly clinched fist on the wood.

“Is everything alright?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Louis shook his head, “Forget about it. Do you want something to drink?”

He shrugged, before answering. “Yeah, sure.”

The other boy nodded, letting out a deep breath through his nose before turning away and heading to the bar. He wasn't left alone for long, a shoulder brushing against his own before stopping beside him.

“Care to explain to me what the hell's going on?”

_He should have known Liam would be all over it._

“You think I fucking know? Liam, I'm not cut out for all this shit. I didn't want to get involved in your little frat, and here I fucking am; at a formal with _Louis_ , and Niall who looks like he's about to start a God damn fight.”

Liam sighed, shaking his head. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't know that he didn't tell any of you!” He half whispered, half shouted.

Liam groaned, waving his hand as if to quiet him. “Alright, calm down.”

Zayn ran his fingers through his hair, “I don't know what to do here, mate. But, on the plus. Looks like you're having a good time.”

His best friend turned back to him, his face instantly brightening. “She actually said yes.”

Zayn clapped Liam on the back, pulling him in closer. “Of course she did. You're a great guy.”

“She obviously thinks so, too.”

“Listen, mate. I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just go and concentrate on _wooing_ your lady.”

Liam nodded, but still looked slightly hesistant. “Oh, that reminds me. We have to get a picture together. For the parents.”

He laughed, “Yeah, I know. Later, though, alright? Go back to Danielle.”

“Sure?”

Zayn couldn't help but laugh, again. “Liam, I'm a grown man, I'll be fine. Go.” When Liam made no attempt to move, he grinned and shoved him by the shoulder. “ _Go._ ”

Liam beamed, pressing a kiss against Zayn's temple, before slapping him on the back and walking away to find his date.

A few minutes later, Louis returned back with two glasses, setting them down on the table. “Here.”

“What is it?”

“Whiskey.”

Zayn nodded, before taking the drink. He wasn't a big fan of whiskey, but it was alcohol, and he could sure use a fucking drink. “Thanks.”

_God, this was going to be a long fucking night. Hadn't even technically started yet._

 

By half nine, conversation between both him and Louis was flowing; discussing themselves.

“I studied abroad for two years, but I didn't like being too far away from home. So, I decided on Uni.”

“Where did you study?”

“America.”

“Oh, wow. I've heard they have some amazing acting school's over there.”

“They really do. It was the most intense time of my life. I'd love to go back, but I don't know if I could. I was told I wouldn't get very far.”

“I bet you would,” he shrugged, finishing the rest of his drink.

Louis raised an eyebrow, “You do?”

“Sure.”

“And, why's that.”

“You act like a complete cock all the time, but you're a big softie on the inside. I can tell by the way you talk about your Mum, and your little sisters. Might not be classified as acting. Maybe you are just a tool bag. But, you've got the confidence. You've also got a lot of determination.”

Louis smiled slightly, lips pulling at the side. “I really am an arsehole. But, I reckon you're right.”

Zayn laughed, nodding.

With a loud crash, Harry stumbled over, slinging his arm around Zayn's shoulders. He looked down at him as if he'd never met the guy before, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Have I kissed you yet?”

Zayn nodded, “Multiple times.”

“Right,” he hiccuped, eyes flashing down to Zayn's lips. “Can I do it again?” He slurred, eyes lazy.

“No.”

“Gotcha.”

Louis smirked, “Where's your date, mate?”

Harry gave a pout, his lips wet and no doubt tainted with alcohol. “I think she's a lesbian.”

Zayn scoffed, “Aw, didn't put out, Harry?”

He frowned, knocking his head against Zayn's. “Shut up.”

“What about your backup?” Louis asked, looking around the room.

“Left with Ben.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow, looking at the drunken male. “You had a _backup_ date? You deserve to be alone.”

Harry growled, staring back down at Zayn. He looked momentarily confused, “Have I kissed you yet?”

“Yes.”

“Right,” he repeated, before heading back off into the crowd, stealing a drink from a laughing female.

Louis laughed, shaking his head. “I'm gonna go and get us some more drinks.”

“Okay.”

Once again, he wasn't left alone for long, this time he was greeted by a shock of blonde hair, and a metal smirk.

“Hey, pretty boy. You avin' a good time?”

Zayn nodded, “I am, thanks.”

_God, he looked fucking good._

“Good, good. I'm avin' a good time, too.” He looked slightly smug, but as if he was trying to _rub_ it in Zayn's face.

He nodded, “Good.”

Niall chucked, taking a sip from his glass which looked like it held straight vodka and ice. “Yes, it is good.” He took another sip, the smirk slipping from his face to take a more serious one as he twisted his body to move closer to Zayn. “So, I didn't know ya knew Louis tha' well.”

“Yeah, we've spoke a few times.”

“Oh, right, right. Well, he must 'ave made quite an impression.”

Zayn frowned slightly, but nodded. “He just asked me to be his date.”

“Sure,” he said, that smirk lighting his face again. He took another sip of his drink, eyes locked on Zayn the entire time. “He's kind of a prick.”  _Fucking smirk._

“Excuse me?”

“Louis. He's kind of a prick. Aven't ya noticed he's kind of a prick?”

Zayn shook his head, placing his hand on the table. “No more than usual.”

“Huh,” he said, smirking around his glass as he finished the rest. “There's still time. Okay, c'mon.” He grabbed Zayn's hand, the smirk falling from his face as he tugged the boy away from the table.

“Where are we going?” He continued to pull Zayn out of the hall, eyes looking back at Zayn's. “Blondie!”

He stopped when they were around a corner, hidden and away from the hall. He pressed Zayn to the wall, leaning his forearm beside his head. “Ya look great.”

Zayn swallowed, “Thank you.”

He was suddenly cut off when Niall leaned in, placing his other hand on Zayn's waist, and pressing him more against the wall, while pulling him closer into his body at the same time. He pressed their lips together hard, kissing him deeply. Zayn's hand instantly moved to coax up his neck, and up towards his hair, returning the kiss. He frowned, before pressing his hand against Niall's chest, pushing him back.

“Niall, stop.”

“Right, so how ya been?”

“I've been fine.”

“Good. School good?”

“School's... Hard.”

“Well, school's supposed to be 'ard, it determines your future.” He leaned forward, pressing their mouths together. Zayn complied, resting his palm against Niall's collarbone, returning the wet, desperate kiss. “Make ya into a sexy magazine editor?”

_Kiss._

Zayn smirked, “Thinking more like a deep artist.”

Niall groaned, shaking his head. “You do look good covered in paint.”

Their lips met once again, and this time it was more fierce. Both of Zayn's hands pushed through blonde hair, tongues sliding together. Niall's fingers pressed deeply into his hips, lips eagerly moving over Zayn's. He sighed into the kiss, pressing his chest against Niall's, before frowning and pushing the blonde away slightly. He looked around the corner, checking to see if anyone was coming.

“We can't do this here.”

Niall nodded, licking his lips. “You're righ'.. Let's go.”

“Go where?” He asked, frowning.

“Your place, my place. Let's take my fuckin' car, and go into London.”

Zayn grinned slightly, still in shock. “We can't just leave, we've got dates.”

Niall scoffed, taking a step back. He ran his fingers through his hair, a sneer coming back onto his lips. “I don't like this.”

“Like what?”

“You're 'ere with Louis.”

“You're here with Rose!”

“I know.”

“So?” He asked, completely confused.

“So, you being 'ere with Louis bothers me, and I don't like guys botherin' me.”

“I'm sorry,” he said, slightly outraged. “Do you want us to leave?”

Niall groaned, replacing the step closer. “No! I want _us_ to leave! _You and me._ ”

“I can't do that!” He looked back around the corner, straightening out his jacket.

“Oh, ya wanna spend the rest of the night with _Louis_ instead of me?” He frowned, placing his hand back on Zayn's hip.

“I came here with Louis!”

“So, dump Louis! I hate Louis.”

“He's your friend?!” He said, dropping his eyebrows.

“So, what? I still hate him!”

Zayn sighed, raising his hands. “Blondie,” he shook his head, looking at Niall's tie, before back up to meet his eyes. “You're the one who--”

“I know what I did!” He shrugged, beginning to look frustrated, stretching out his arms in emphasis.

“Okay, then. I have to go, I have a date. Enjoy the rest of the party,” he said, patting Niall's chest once before turning around and heading back into the hall. He walked back over to Louis, offering him a tight smile as he took the offered drink, turning his head to watch Harry attempt to charm a girl in a tight fitted black dress with some ridiculous dance moves.

_Knew this was a fucking bad idea._


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fucking sorry about the delay, I haven't really been able to write over the last month and a half. I just stared at it for a while, wondering why the fuck I couldn't type. But, here it is.

Zayn licked his lips, hands shoved into his pockets as he was escorted back to his dorm room; Louis' hand on the small of his back. The night had continued on pretty calmly. Not his version of calm, but calm enough. Niall had stayed clear of him, but that didn't stop him from stealing glances at him and Louis, while he practically fucked his date by the bar. Poor Rose looked like she couldn't breathe at one point, he was half tempted to go over and rescue her, but he had a feeling that's what Niall had intended. For him to come over. 

 _He didn't._  

“Tonight was fun,” Louis said, stopping outside of his room.

Zayn raised his eyebrows, but gave a nod. He wouldn't classify it as fun, but if Louis thought it was, then he wouldn't fuck it up. “It was certainty interesting.” 

The other boy laughed, watching as Zayn pulled out his keys. He reached for his wrist, halting him from pushing it open. Zayn turned, raising an eyebrow. Louis was staring at him fairly intently, as if debating on doing something. He opened his mouth to ask what's wrong, before he was silenced by a press of lips; a hand going around to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Zayn's eyes widened, staring at Louis' face as he kissed him hard, before pulling back. Blue eyes focused on him, lips parted slightly before breaking out into a smirk.

He licked his lips, smirk proudly evident, and Zayn had the overwhelming urge to punch him straight in the nose. “You really do have a nice pair of lips.”

Zayn swallowed, lips still slightly pursed from the unexpected smack against his mouth. “Thanks,” he breathed, waiting until the hand around the back of his neck had released him before pushing open his door. He opened his mouth, turning back to ask what that kiss was for, but instead was met with the sight of Louis' back walking down the hall.

“Goodnight, Zayn.” 

Zayn blinked, eyebrows furrowing. “Night,” he called, before walking into his room and closing the door. He immediately dropped down on the bed, pulling his tie loose against his throat. He shook his head, dropping his hands to his lap. He stared at his laptop sat on the floor, still trying to process the nights events. He was brought out of his daze with a vibrate from his pocket, eyes moving to stare at his illuminated material. He laid down on the bed, closing his eyes as he answered it and brought it to his ear.

  
“Hello?”

He was met with the sounds of moaning, whimpers filling the speaker. It was definitely a girl's moans, clearly not holding back. He could tell, just from the echo, that this girl was being fucked in a bathroom, or something of the sort. He was about to hang up, before hearing a scream of a name.

One. Fucking. Name.

He released a deep breath, tonguing his back teeth before shaking his head. He could hear his Irish slur, telling her to scream his name, more than likely fucking her in a stall. He rolled his eyes under his lids, before ending the call. He dropped the phone to the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. He tugged at his hair, before kicking off his shoes and sitting up to shrug off his jacket. He couldn't even be bothered to shower, or remove his clothes, simply settling for getting under the covers, fully clothed and instantly falling asleep, shoving his head under the pillow every time his phone rang.

“Cunt,” he breathed, before falling into an annoying state of sleep.

 

Sat at his desk, he smiled smugly at the state of work he'd done. He was reading through everyone's articles, fucking pleased for his team. _Ecstatic_ was a better word. Zayn was grouping their layout together, editing the last piece together. This had, by far, been the hardest edition to do. A lot of people were absent due to sickness, or family related emergencies. They all knew it would happen. One giant, bloody, cluster fuck that would screw them all over. But, they had managed it with the little grouping they had. They pulled together, and it was times like this that Zayn adored what he did. It may have just been the shitty Uni magazine, which not a lot of people read, but he didn't care. In times like this, he was proud that he stuck to his guns, and kept going. If he hadn't, he certainly wouldn’t be one of the select editors. He was proud of his team, and their community.

He loved times like these, the chilling hour of midnight, and the tense atmosphere of the bodies crammed behind him, biting of nails, and tugging of hair as they waited for the moment they could embrace each other for another hopeful edition. This atmosphere was one of a kind, the type you'd feel at the last moment of an exam; thirty seconds on the clock, and you're writing your last sentence. He licked his lips, watching as he saved the edition to the hard drive, before leaning back in his chair, raising his arms.

“We're done, everybody,” he said, voices erupting around him. Arms wrapped around his neck, and a cascade of purple hair pooled over his shoulder; instantly knowing who it was. He smirked, patting her hands as they rest on his chest. People were cheering around the room, hugging each other as if they'd sent a successful rocket to the moon. He unwound Perrie's arms, standing from his desk. “Alright, we're not done yet. Once it gets taken to the printer, it'll all be over. Who wants to go?”

He got no response, the cheers suddenly turning off, and he knew why. No one was a big fan of Kim the woman who worked the night shift down by the printer. She wasn't friendly, and she certainly wasn't like the woman in the morning. Zayn liked her, he found her oddly amusing. He laughed at the lack of reply, pulling out the memory stick and shrugging on his jacket.

“Looks like I'm doing it, tonight. Go on, you can all pack up and leave.”

“Cheers, Zayn!” One lad said, followed by multiple 'thanks' and 'you're the best'. He rolled his eyes, heading out of the offices, and down to the courtyard. Once he was out on campus, he shoved his hand in his pocket, the other twisting around the key chain of the memory stick. He whistled, a pathetic _pep_ in his step. He pushed open the double doors, walking into the well lit area of space. He smiled, setting eyes on the faded red hair of the woman behind the desk.

“Evening, Kim.”

The woman's eyes turned up from the small TV sat in the corner of the room, hers miserable. She turned her head back slowly, hand halfway to her mouth; fingers stained orange with a large bag of knock-off Wotsits in her lap. He walked over to the desk, leaning against the counter scattered with paperwork and leaflets.

He held up the memory stick, before sliding it across the surface. “This is for the printer. I haven't let you down this time by bringing it late.”

Kim didn't turn away from her TV show, causing Zayn to follow her gaze, seeing it was a repeat of 'Neighbours'. “Drop it, and leave.” She said, another Wotsit going into her mouth.

He laughed, but nodded. Walking backwards, and heading back towards the door. “See you next week,” he called, before pushing open the doors with his shoulder.

Zayn couldn't be sure, but he was fairly certain he heard a 'hope not' as he left. He shoved his hands back into his pockets, the brisk temperature dropping in degrees. He shouldered the door back to the office, coughing into his fist as he climbed the steps. He rubbed at his eyes as he entered the office, eyes catching a broad back, perched on one of the desks. He raised an eyebrow, the plain white tank giving it away, immediately. As well as the fat brimmed hat of the snapback on his head, pointing backwards. He looked around, seeing that he, in fact was the only one in the office.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, taking a step further into the room.

Niall's head snapped around, fingers dropping the folder he was going through on someone's desk. He turned his body, standing up. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his blue eyes wide. If Zayn had never heard his voice, he might have actually pegged him as cute. “I was lookin' for you.”

“Well, congratulations. You found me. Now, what do you want?” He chewed at the inside of his cheek, too tired to deal with something and some _one_ like this, right now.

Niall shoved his hands in his pockets, slowly moving around the desks, and walking closer to him. His lips quirked at the corner, and Zayn knew what it was before he saw it. “I came t' apologise.”

Zayn raised his eyebrows, because he _definitely_ wasn'texpecting that. “Oh. Uh, what for?”

Like clockwork, the smirk tugged up onto his lips, revealing teeth.

 _Just teeth._  

Holy shit, he'd had his braces taken off.

He swallowed, trying to remain silently calm. He trained his eyes up to Niall's, but slipped every now and then, falling to the slightly exposed teeth.

 _No, no. Don't fucking look._  

_But, he looks so bloody good._

_Fuck that, man. He's an arsehole._

_A braceless, hot arsehole._  

He frowned at himself, his inward debate with his mind having caused him to miss the approaching steps of the blonde.

“I tink I pocket dialled ya the other nigh'?” Niall frowned, quirking an eyebrow and tilting his head slightly to the side as if he was fucking _clueless_ to it.

_Bellend._

Zayn also frowned himself, pretending to think back. “Did you?”

Niall's eyes narrowed slightly, taking another step. “Yeah.

Zayn shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “I don't remember getting a call.” 

The blonde's jaw tensed, and he looked straight at Zayn, chewing obnoxiously at the gum in his mouth. “Huh.” The action caused Zayn's eyes to drop down to his mouth, teeth being teasingly shown as he chewed with his mouth open. 

Niall's smirk grew, having obviously caught the brief look. He took the chewing gum from his mouth, dropping it into the bin. He licked his lips, another slow step leading him closer to Zayn, their bodies only inches apart. Zayn instantly took a step back, causing the brows of the blonde to raise, smirk growing. “Where you goin'?” 

Zayn kept his face hard, not daring breaking the eye contact. “Home.”

Niall's eyes darkened, replacing the step. “I don't tink so.” 

Zayn took another step back, the backs of his thighs pressing against a desk, his mouth instantly running dry. He swallowed, Niall's body moving to press against his own. His hands pressed against his hips, the smirk slowly slipping from his face. He leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. He squeezed Zayn's hips, his adam's apple lowering slowly. Zayn let out a soft breath, his hands resting back on the desk. Niall's body shifted closer, pressing their chests together. He leaned forward, pressing their lips together. It was soft, their lips moving together slowly.

Niall nudged his nose against Zayn's mouth, pressing a kiss against the cupids bow of his mouth. “I haven't been able to stop thinkin' about ya.”

Zayn let out another breath, shaking slightly as his hands slid up Niall's chest, he moved his hands up to his shoulders, swallowing as Niall kissed down his jaw and against his neck.

“Do you think abou' me?” He asked quietly against his neck, his hands roaming up his sides, one rough hand slipping under his shirt. 

Zayn didn't reply, _couldn't_ reply with the way his teeth grazed the still healing mark on his neck, his chest heaving slightly at the contact of his hot, slick tongue.

“Zayn,” he growled, voice more desperate than angry.

He couldn't deny it, as much as he wanted to. He nodded, turning his head slightly; neck tilting for him. His hands tugged at the straps of Niall's tank, tugging at it slightly as he bit his bottom lip. He swallowed, before nodding again. “Yeah,” he breathlessly answered, eyes closing. 

Niall's hands slid down to his thighs, tucking his fingers into the skin at the back of his legs, lifting him up slightly to sit on the edge of the desk. Zayn's breath hitched, the blonde standing between his parted legs. His hands wondered back up Zayn's sides, both hands pushing under the material of his shirt, slowly grazing up his ribs.

Niall brought his lips back up to Zayn's, kissing just below his bottom lip. He rubbed their noses together, before pressing a wet kiss to his lips. “Still wanna go?” He asked, voice deep and quiet. 

Zayn swallowed, fingers threading up the small amount of exposed hair on the back of the boys' neck, before being cut off by the ridiculous, green snapback. He shook his head, dragging his fingers down his neck. He physically loathed himself for even considering, let alone _obeying._ But, here he was. Kissing the stupid, idiotic bloke back. He looked into Niall's eyes, seeing the blue heavily lidded. 

Niall kissed the corner of his mouth, his lips sliding over Zayn's bottom lip, biting down. “Did ya sleep with 'im?” He pulled Zayn closer to the edge of the desk, their groins pressed tightly together. Niall moved his hips slowly, moving so his length slowly slid against his own.

Zayn licked his lips, tongue touching the corner of Niall's parted lips. He let out a small breath, one hand still sliding over the back of his hair. “Why does it matter to you?”

“Jus' curious,” he answered, flicking his tongue to lick Zayn's lips, causing a sharp jolt of something to run down his spine. Zayn shuddered, pressing a kiss to Niall's mouth, slipping his tongue past his lips to run his tongue against the braceless teeth. Niall groaned, tugging Zayn even closer. 

“None of your business if I slept with him or not, I don't see how it concerns you.” Zayn tilt his head back slightly at the press of lips to his jugular, sliding down the length of his throat. He hummed softly, causing Niall's tongue to flick out over his adam's apple. His lips slowly moved to the fading mark on the side of his neck, causing a tremble to wrack his body. “You jealous?” He said softly, despising the sound of his own voice; his chest heaving as he tried to control his laboured breathing.

Niall all but growled, smooth teeth brushing over smoother skin, tongue circling the line of his own mouth imprinted into Zayn's tanned flesh. “No,” he stated, a childish hint clear in his voice. Zayn couldn't help but smirk, running his hands down the length of the blonde's back. 

“Of course not.”

“I'm not.” 

“I know.” 

Niall pulled back slightly, staring down at the lad on the desk. “Zayn. I'm _not_.” 

“You've admitted to be jealous before, why is it different, now?”

This seemed to catch Niall off guard, lips parting slightly as he clearly thought about it. He licked his lips, shaking his head, obviously annoyed that he'd pondered the thought. “Tha' was different.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow, “How, exactly? If anything you should be more jealous. I could have slept with another guy. Which _still_ isn't any of your concern. I can sleep with whoever I want. You seem to do that all the time, why is it different for me? I see a double standard here.” 

“Because it's a guy!” Niall said, a little more forcefully.

Zayn frowned, shoulders slouching slightly as confusion spread across his face. “And? What does that mean?”

Niall sighed, lifting his cap off with one hand; running his thick fingers through his hair with the other. “You sleep with other guys. I _know_ wha' goes on in other blokes 'eads when they look at ya." 

“I'm still fucking confused here, blondie. I know what guys think when they look at you.” He retorted after a moment, eyes narrowed. 

“But, the difference there, is that I don't sleep with guys.”

The lad on the desk paused, “Well, what the fuck am I, then?”

Niall groaned in frustration, tugging at the ends of his hair, before replacing his hat lazily; simply perching it on his head. “You're the only guy I've fucked. I'm not gay. I don't... I don't sleep with dudes.”

Zayn dropped his hands from Niall's back, resting on his own thighs. “You can't say you're not gay just because you've only slept with me. And, I find that really hard to believe,” he scoffed, attempting to stand.

The blonde growled, keeping Zayn on the table. “Do I really look like a guy who fucks other blokes?” Zayn frowned in complete bewilderment, gesturing to himself. Niall groaned, rubbing at the corners of his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “I didn't mean it like tha'. I mean, I like pussy, plain and simple. I've never wanted to suck a dude's dick before, y'know?” 

Zayn remained with his eyebrow raised, “Right. Sorry I can't provide you with a vagina, blondie.” He shook his head, pushing himself up from the table. Niall laughed, taking a step back, twisting his hat around to face the correct way. Zayn stopped, turning to look at him. “What's so funny?”

“That's exactly why I like ya,” he said, licking his lips. “You're different from anyone else.” He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I like tha'.” 

Zayn sighed, rubbing at his forehead for a moment, closing his eyes in frustration. “I still don't see why it's okay for you to sleep with other people while I can't. I'm not completely gay, to clarify. I like pussy, too.”

Niall raised his eyebrows, “Really?” His voice genuinely sounded curious.

 _Well, fuck you._  

“What's so shocking about that. Do I look like a complete queer?”

Niall simply stood there, eyebrows still raised. He gave a small shrug, before laughing once. “Kinda.”

Zayn nodded, raising his arms before letting them drop back down to his sides with a sharp clap. “Of course.” He shook his head, pacing slightly. “Y'know, I should really knock your teeth out for that one.” He said, tilting his head down, pointing a finger towards the blonde.

Niall laughed, closing the space between them once again, pulling him in. “Alright, well. You seem to attract a lot of lads whereas _I_ don't. Like I said before: I know what guys tink when they look at ya.”

“I can take care of myself if that's what you're getting at here, blondie.”

Niall smirked, “Oh, I 'ave no doubt that you could. Pretty sexy how you took on three guys,” he added, voice lowering slightly.

“Yeah, well. Still got my arse well and truly kicked, didn't I?” Zayn mumbled, hands resting on Niall's shoulders, rubbing them slowly. As if on queue, Niall's hand slid down to his arse, giving it a firm squeeze. “Hilarious.” He watched the smirk grow, before the devious look was suddenly pressed against his own lips. “We should come up with a mutual agreement,” he murmured against the soft lips, voice muffled slightly. Niall licked into his mouth, one hand moving to squeeze the back of his neck. He nodded, pressing their bodies tighter together. Zayn moaned softly as the kiss grew more heated, but remained slow; one large hand still squeezing his arse. “Niall,” he breathed, turning his head slightly, hot lips connecting with his jaw.

“Sleep with whoever we want,” he spoke against Zayn's suddenly burning skin, blood surfaced beneath his bronzed skin. “Now I know, I'd mostly prefer if ya went after birds. Stay clear of guys.”

Zayn laughed, chest heaving slightly as bare teeth brushed over the shell of his ear, his nails digging into Niall's shoulders. “Would you be angry if I fucked another guy?” 

“Most definitely,” he growled against his neck, hand slipping into his back pocket.

Zayn cocked his eyebrow slightly, licking his lips.

_He could definitely have some fun with this._


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update! Don't honestly fucking know how I managed to write this so quickly, but here it is. Pretty sure this is the longest chapter, so I hope you enjoy.

It annoyed him whenever he walked into his office now, he was immediately met with visions of Niall fucking him to an inch of his life on Luke's desk; himself completely wrecked and begging for more.

“ _Say me name, like the good little boy I know ya are,” Niall teased, breathing breathlessly against Zayn's ear, which was enough to get him to whimper._  

“ _Go fuck yourself.”_

_The blonde had simply smirked, raising his eyebrows as if to say 'bit busy fucking you', in that ridiculously sarcastic manner that he knew he'd be thinking._

“ _It's not hard, jus' one little word and you'll get what you're gaggin' for.” Niall teasingly pushed and pulled the head of his cock in out at an agonisingly slow pace, having Zayn practically by the skin of his teeth._

“ _Why are you always so fucking desperate for me to say your name?” He panted, the simple movement of Niall's hips causing him to drop his head back against the desk with a sharp thump, a couple of pencils rolling onto the floor._

_Niall smirked, pulling the tip of his dick out to circle his rim. “I 'ave my reasons for wantin' to hear it. The real question is tha' are you that desperate for it that you're gonna go against everythin' you stand for just for me."_

Dear fucking Lord, Zayn remembered exactly how he phrased it. The rip his stomach gave was enough for it to scar into his abdomen. Sly bastard was making it more personal, so that when he finally said his name, he'd really think it was for him.

_Maybe it was._

No, no. He'd rather die than agree with his conscience at this point 

But.

The way he'd _phrased_ it. It got under his skin, and he had a feeling that Niall would know that when he said it. He _knew_ how he'd react, and he'd have no other choice but to abide.

He quickly pulled out his phone, bringing Niall's number up before selecting a text.

_You're a sly piece of shit, just to remind you, once again._

He sent it without a second thought, before pocketing the device, weight still heavy in his stomach.

He grunted, looking at Luke's desk from across the room, unable to focus on editing Sam's article on why the food in the cafeteria could be the end of the campus. He licked his lips, completely distracted. It was like when people claim to have an outer body experience, and they can see themselves. This felt like one of those moments, but his spirit (or whatever it's called) had gone back in time to watch the scene again. He could see himself, _begging_ for the blonde. Not just begging to be fucked, but begging for him.

“ _Niall, fuck... Please. Please, I-I need you.”_

_Niall paused for a moment, staring down at Zayn in a way that chilled his bones. A second past before he was completely filled, Niall's face pressed against the crook of his neck; breathing uneven and harsh._

“Fuck!” He growled, his hand closing around the pastry in his hand he'd obviously been handed, cream and jam pushing between the slits of his fingers. His other hand curled around the screen of his laptop, fingers pressing so hard into the screen, he could see the colours run around the white background of the document. It was fair to say that his outburst had drawn attention, but not a lot of it. People often had breakdowns in the office all the time, and the few that turned around were either worried about the skin on their arse, or interested to hear what had ruffled Zayn's feathers, as Liam had once put it.

He shook his head, releasing the hand around the lid of his laptop to wave them all of, leaning back against his chair. He dropped the pastry down in the bin beside his desk, using an old slip of paper to remove the fresh cream and, what smelled like raspberry jam, from between his fingers. He sucked the remains off his thumb and forefinger, before stifling a sigh.

He'd complied to what Niall had wanted, and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It bothered him more when he was in his place of work than, say, the coffee shop off campus. And, he fucking _knew_ that Niall knew that, too. He fucked him here because this is where he spent the majority of his time. And, now he'd be forced to think about himself pressed against the desk of his collogue, moaning pathetically for a guy he couldn't physically stand.

He had to get out of there, he couldn't stand thinking about it in such grave detail. He stood, packing up his stuff, not needing to give a reason as to why he was leaving. He slid his laptop into his bag, shouldering it before heading out of the office with a sticky wave of his hand, eyebrows already pushed together in concentration.

_Why was he so angry? Because of that little prick, that's why._

Before he knew it, he was outside of the _K_ _appa Delta Phi_ house, banging on the door with the side of his fist, he didn't stop until the door was yanked open.

“Jesus fucking Chris--” Niall.

Of. Fucking. Course. He'd be the one to open the door. Oh, well. It didn't matter, he was the one he needed to see anywhere.

The blonde smirked, hands holding on to the ends of his towel which was wrapped around the back of his neck. He licked his lips, eyes sleazily looking over him like a prize turkey at Christmas. “Well, well. Didn't expect t' see you here so soon.” Zayn couldn't help but stare himself, drips of water rolling down his pale stomach. He watched as a single drop fell from a golden strand above his eye rolled down the bridge of his nose. He could see the blue eyes staring into his own, wondering as to what he was doing here.

Zayn shook his head, not in the fucking mood to deal with the arrogance. He barged his way through, grabbing Niall's wrist and dragging him up the stairs. He didn't have to see Niall to know that he was wearing the signature smirk that was no doubt on his pink, damp lips.

“Eager, are we?”

_Cunt. Royal cunt._

Zayn didn't stop until they were in Niall's room, shoving the blonde down on his own bed before slamming the door closed. He dropped his bag, before pulling his shirt off. He immediately climbed onto Niall's lap, pushing him so his back was pressed against the still navy blue cover.

_Jesus, does the little fuck ever change his bed sheets?_

He leaned down, pressing a rough, hard kiss to Niall's lips as his hands yanked at his own belt. He felt the large hands settle on his hips, pulling his hips down closer. Zayn growled, feeling anger pooling into his stomach once again. He shook his head, biting at the blonde's bottom lip hard, before pulling away with a wet smack. He took the hands from his hips and raised them above Niall's head, much to his surprise. He stared up at Zayn, blinking as if they'd never met. Zayn held his hands down with one of his own, which he knew was a lost bet, but Niall seemed to be cooperating, so he'd fucking take it. He pulled his belt off, before yanking open the button and zip of his jeans. He pushed himself forward on his knees, allowing him to push his boxers and jeans down with one movement. The material wrapped around his knees, settling against Niall's stomach, helping to pin him to the bed. He could feel eyes burning into him, the tops of Niall's fingers brushing against the one hand he was using to hold them restrained to the bed.

“Couldn't get enough?” He said in that thick accent that practically had Zayn's fingers shaking. He grit his teeth, not allowing himself to be sucked in. He twisted his neck, moving his other hand to yank at the loose basketball shorts the blonde was wearing; pushing them down to his own knees, biting back the whine threatening to fall from his lips at the sight that he wasn't wearing any boxers.

He took a breath, before moving over to Niall's drawers, yanking it open to pull out one of the many condoms, and that was an understatement. He took the packet between his teeth, ripping it open with one quick movement. He heard Niall's breath spike, felt his cock twitch against his thigh. He didn't release his wrists, if anything, tightening the hold as he shifted back slightly. He wrapped his free hand around Niall's cock, immediately beginning to stroke it at a quick pace, not allowing the lad to adjust to anything.

“Fuck,” Niall groaned, hips bucking up into his hand. Zayn continued to do this until he was completely hard, which didn't take long, he thought smugly. He dropped the condom down on the blonde's stomach, removing the rubber from the packet, before using one hand to roll it down the leaking length. Zayn pushed himself up on his knees once again, shuffling forward slightly; his bunched jeans helping to keep him pinned.

He lowered himself down, reaching behind him with his free hand to grind back against Niall's cock, not allowing him to enter him. He immediately smirked, “Tell me what you want.”

Niall's eyes practically flew open, the usually bright blue a dark, hard shade. “Zayn.” And, he could fucking smell the anger let alone hear it.

_He'd caught on._

Zayn felt as if he'd never been more proud.

“What do you want, blondie. ”

The boy beneath him growled, actually attempting to move. Zayn lent forward, pushing all of his weight down into his knees and hand, effectively pinning his rival , it seemed. “Get off me.”

Zayn smirked, biting down on his bottom lip. He ground back against Niall's dick once again, moaning as the head of his cock brushed over his arsehole. Niall groaned, hips shifting slightly, clearly trying to push in. “What do you want .” He asked again, digging his knees into Niall's side.

Niall released a breath, eyes falling closed for a moment, jaw fluttering with anger. “I should kick your arse for this.”

His smirk only grew, once again pressing back against Niall's hardening length. “You mean this arse?” He could feel that this was turning him on more, and that sent a thrill through him. The fact that Niall was angry at himself for getting turned on by this.

The blonde moaned, and he could hear the resent in his voice. “You.”

“Sorry, what was that?”

“ _You_.” He growled, eyes open again and full on glaring at him.

Zayn pushed his luck. Of course he would, he wanted to rinse this lad dry. “Want or need me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, hand still wrapped around Niall's throbbing cock. When he got nothing but a grimace in return, he guided the head of Niall's length to his entrace, pressing himself down, purposely releasing the most broken whimper. He made sure to keep his eyes open, watching Niall through lazy, aroused eyes; lips parting as his back arched slightly.

“Need,” he grunted, chest heaving as he stared up at Zayn.

Zayn smirked before pushing himself completely down, biting back the moan from the stretch. He brought his now free hand to Niall's neck, resting below his throat; other still gripping tightly to both of the blonde's wrists. He didn't wait before immediately beginning to move, lifting himself up and down, stopping every time that Niall tried to shift his hips to try and thrust. He lent his head down, pressing his mouth to the blonde's flushed neck, not missing a beat before sucking dark marks all over the expanse of skin. He covered his entire neck and throat in forming bruises, all the while still bouncing on his cock, listening to the deep moans the blonde tried to restrain. The thrill from the power was a very euphoric feeling, and he felt slightly powered crazed. He pressed his mouth against Niall's ear, forcing him to listen to every breathless moan and whimper he released. He rocked his hips forward, causing the Irish lad to release a deep groan.

_Ah._

He'd clearly found a good position, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to ride this boy to an inch of his life. He needed to feel the anger he, himself felt. Knowing that he needed the other to satisfy the need.

“You like that, blondie?” He breathed heavily into Niall's ear, eyes racking over the assortment of blossoming bruises covering his skin. He pressed his nails into Niall's wrists, listening to the strangled moan he released as he circled his hips slightly.

Niall moaned, eyes clinched close. “Jesus Christ, Zayn,” he breathed, biting roughly at his bottom lip as Zayn refused to let up.

Zayn's eyes darkened dramatically at another idea forming in his head. Of all the people this little prick had brought into the house, he wondered how many of them were able to get Niall to mutter their name. “Say my name,” he ordered, lifting himself up and down with more purpose, more determination.

“You've got to be fuckin' kiddin' me,” he groaned, turning his head to look at Zayn slightly, dark eyes wide and blown.

Zayn paused for a moment, hand squeezing at his neck slightly, nails pressing in to the to the rough edge of his collarbone. He bit down at the side of Niall's jaw, soothing the mark with his tongue. “Does it look like I'm kidding?” Zayn raised his hips, feeling the press of the head of his cock threatening to slip from inside of him. A moment passed, blue eyes staring directly into amber, aggression, passion and something else laying beneath it all. “Say it.” He didn't wait to see the smirk form on Niall's lips, before dropping himself completely down and rocking his hips forward immediately.

“Fuck, Zayn!”

It was Zayn's turn to smirk, hearing the loud boom of his accent echo and bounce off the four walls. He continued this method until all he could hear was his own name chanted back at him, increasing in volume. He listened to it gradually become rougher and more wrecked as the blonde obviously drew close to his orgasm. Zayn felt his own stomach burn with pleasure, his abdomen tight with tension. He moaned as he continued to rock his hips down against Niall's, feeling the bruises already beginning to place on his skin from the rough brush of bone. He always did have fucking narrow hips, as his mother used to say.

_He wouldn't come first though. No, definitely not._

He gripped Niall's wrists tightly, forcing himself from falling over the edge due to his pending orgasm. He locked eyes with the blonde suddenly, both panting as they stared at each other, Zayn still moving on top of him. Niall continued to groan, and the moment felt like it lasted a year; Zayn was pretty sure his heart was about to have a seizure due to the intensity of the look they shared. The blonde broke first, eyes falling shut as his face scrunched up, back arching from the bed slightly as his hips stuttered. Zayn gasped, Niall's body becoming more stiff and hard. He felt the throb of the lad's cock, the familiar warmth filling the condom. He whimpered, continuing to lift and drop himself to push him over the edge, and to help the blonde ride out his climax. He groaned, the feeling of Niall suddenly becoming too much. He came with a shuddering breath, his release painting the Irish lad's stomach, torso and neck. He collapsed against him with one final moan, hand still gripping at his wrists. He felt Niall's hot, heavy breath against his hair, knowing by the movement that he was shaking his head.

Zayn pushed himself up on one unsteady arm, grabbing the towel beneath the blonde's head to wipe at his forehead. He looked down at the spent boy beneath him, watching him watch him. He smirked lazily, before leaning forward, taking the towel and wrapping it beneath his hands and the top bar of the bedpost. He made sure it was extra tight, before leaning back to grin at the blonde.

“Zayn,” he warned, tugging at his wrists. He laughed once, before shaking his head. “Alrigh', jokes over. It was funny, but untie me.” Zayn licked his lips, slapping the blonde on the face a few times.

“Thanks for the ride,” he said, before pushing himself up on his feet, standing above the lad. He pulled up his jeans and boxers, buckling his belt up before smirking down at him; watching the heat rise in his face. He climbed off the bed, pulling his shirt back on, before walking over to the mirror.

Niall growled, “You're just gonna leave me with me shorts around me ankles and your spunk over me chest?”

The clothed lad ran his fingers through his hair, before looking to the side. He smiled slightly, catching sight of Niall's beloved green cap, aligned up with his other hats.

_Only fucking organised thing in this dump._

Zayn released a breath, grabbing the green snapback. He immediately heard the sound of the bed creaking.

“ _Zayn._ ”

He pulled it on his head, slowly twisting it around in the same signature way that the blonde did. He looked at himself in the mirror, ducking his head slightly as he licked his lips.

“Take off my fucking hat and untie me, right now .”

Zayn pursed his lips, debating it without thought. He hummed, before shaking his head. “I'll think I'll give it a miss.”

“I swear to God, if ya walk out of tha' door, it'll be the biggest mistake you've ever made.” Niall said, voice vicious as he tugged at the towel.

Zayn smiled, walking over to him to grab his bag. He lent down, pressing their lips together in one, final kiss. “Catch ya later, blondie.” With that, he started whistling as he head out of Niall's bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“Zayn!”

He smirked, passing Harry, who grinned at him, before giving him a sceptical look about the hat he was wearing; slapping him on the chest as he climbed down the stairs. before heading out of the house, feeling slightly better about the whole situation.

 

“Perrie, how do you fancy coming with me to the _Kappa Delta Phi_ party, tonight?” He asked, while sorting the time schedule out that Stuart had left on his desk.

The _now_ blonde gazed up, raising her eyebrow. “Sure. Didn't realise they were your thing. Last time I checked, you hated anything like that.”

Zayn nodded, not flicking his eyes up from the sheet in his hand. “Still do.” His eyebrows knitted together, leaning down to change the date for the printer next month, knowing that papers were scheduled to be released around that time, and if they had another crash up like they did back in May, they wouldn't be able to get the magazine out.

Perrie continued to stare at him, “Then... Care to explain?”

“Not really,” he answered with a shrug.

Good thing about Perrie was that she left it when she sensed it should be left.

 

He picked her up from her dorm, giving her a smile as she stepped out. His eyes immediately widened, looking at the tight fitting, floral dress. “Wow,” he said, voice slightly gruff. He licked his lips, looking at the way the outfit hugged her figure.

Perrie smirked, before rolling her eyes. “Keep it in your pants, Malik.”

Zayn scoffed, taking a long drag of his cigarette. They chatted while they walked down _Greek Row_ , Zayn throwing his cigarette on the lawn, ignoring the protests he got. He smiled, gesturing for her to go first. She knocked on the door, and Zayn placed his hand on the small of her back, fixing a smile on his face as Dexter opened the door, one of the brothers.

“Malik!” He chanted, pulling the pair in. Zayn nodded, remembering the lad that supplied the pills on the first night.

“Good to see you, mate,” he returned, giving a gracious slap to his stretched hand. He was immediately pulled into another body, looking to see Liam offering one of his (hate to say it) cute smiles.

“You came!”

“I came.” Liam grinned like the cat who got the cream, grabbing Zayn's face to press a kiss against his forehead. He spotted the blonde across the room, laughing at something a short, blonde girl was saying. Zayn smirked inwardly, turning his attention back to Perrie. “Do you want something to drink?” He asked over the loud roar of music.

She nodded, “I'll take anything with vodka in it.”

With that he gave her a smile and head into the kitchen, Liam following in tow.

“You brought Perrie?”

“Well done, mate,” he laughed, grabbing a solo cup from the side.

Liam lent against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. “Any particular reason you did?”

“I work with her, I knew she was coming. Thought I may as well ask if she wanted to go with me,” he shrugged, filling a quarter of the cup with cheap, shop-brand vodka, before topping it off with coke.

The younger lad nodded, “Fair enough.”

He grabbed two cans of beer from one of the tubs outside, more water than ice now. He chucked one to Liam, cracking it open. “Danielle here?” He asked, chugging the majority of his beer already.

“Nah, she's studying.”

“You're always into the good girls. I'm pretty sure the only girl you've ever hooked up with who wasn't a straight A student was Megan Parsons back in Year Eleven.”

“Pretty sure my I.Q dropped just from kissing her.”

Zayn laughed, draining his first beer before crunching it with his hand and chucking it down in one of the many black sacks. “Yeah, well. The only thing she was good at was sucking dick, and even that wasn't up to regular standards.”

His best friend nodded in agreement, watching as Zayn grabbed another beer. “Your aim to get hammered?”

Zayn scoffed, giving the younger lad a look. “You know it takes a pretty amount of alcohol to get me full on drunk. If I'm on the beer, I'm alright. Don't think I'll be mixing with any of the spirits tonight. Last time I did that, I ended up in a fucking closet.” He cracked up the next beer, draining the can easily.

“So, about a week or so ago...”

Zayn smirked, already knowing what Liam was going to say.

“I found Niall tied up to his bed, with his, uh... Well, he was basically naked. Dude was really pissed. Punching Harry in the stomach, pissed.”

Zayn raised his eyebrows, nodding along as if he knew nothing. “Poor Harry.” He smirked around his beer, keeping his eyes trained on his best friend.

The younger lad stared at him, giving him a sceptical look, head ducking in a way that says _'what are you playing at'_.

“I hope you know what you're doing, mate.”

He nodded, because of course he didn't. “Don't worry, Liam.” He grabbed Perrie's drink, before thumping Liam on the chest once. “In a bit, lad.”

Zayn pushed through the crowd, stopping when Perrie reached for him, smiling at him. He handed her the drink.

“What is it?” She asked, sniffing it, before taking a sip.

“Vodka and coke.”

She nodded, before practically draining the cup in three seconds flat. He raised his eyebrows, impressed, because _damn_. What chick can drink like that? She placed the cup down, before grabbing his hand. “C'mon, dance with me.”

He laughed, following suit, allowing her to tug at his arm. He licked his lips, stopping in the formed crowd of people, holding her hips as she backed up against him. It wasn't strange, really. They'd been to a couple of parties together, and they'd fucked every now and then, but there was really nothing there.

His eyes moved over the front of her dress, having a clear view of her tits pressed against the tight material of the bold looking dress. He licked his lips, eyes flicking up for a moment. His eyes met another pair in a split second, and he felt a sense of pride at the sight of the blue boring into his own. Niall looked oddly smug, but annoyed at the same time. And, Zayn couldn't distinguish if it was because he'd brought someone, or he was still pissed about the whole 'tying up the Irish kid, taking his hat and ditching' incident. Either way, he didn't care.

_He'd taken the bait._

Zayn leaned down, pressing his lips against the side of Perrie's ear, sliding his hands up her sides. To the eye it would look completely sexual, but in her ear, it was simply, “You really do look lovely in this dress, babe.”

She grinned, turning her body around. Zayn smirked, his plan simply falling into place. He slid his hands down to her arse as she leaned up to whisper in his own ear. “Sure it doesn't look too slutty?” Zayn smirked, licking his lips as if he was asked the filthiest question around. He squeezed her arse again.

“You look great, trust me.”

She smiled, sliding her leg between his own as they continued to dance; Zayn gazing up every now and then to catch Niall's eye, who was still staring intently at them.

 

After a couple more songs, Perrie asked for another drink, in which Zayn was more than happy to comply. He headed to the kitchen, grabbing another vodka and coke. He stepped outside for a smoke, allowing himself to take his time; knowing the sheer accuracy of the plan. He lit a cigarette, leaning his head back against the wall. He looked around the large expanse of garden, not surprised to see the pool filled with a handful of people. He watched for a moment, human towers being built, which would no doubt end in a casualty.

“Hey,” a voice sounded, bringing him out of his wandering eyes. He turned, staring at the familiar face of the lad from his dorm, Josh/Jack.

He smiled around his cigarette, nodding to the lad. “Hey, man,” he greeted, looking at the shorter lad. “Never got to properly thank you for scaring off those pricks.”

The dude laughed, arms tucked behind his back as he lent back against the wall. “It's no worries, really. Kind of blew me off, though.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow, flicking the lengthening ash from his cigarette. “How so?”

“I mean, I offered to help you carry the Styles kid back, and you completely rejected me,” he laughed.

Zayn licked his lips, nodding a couple of times, before turning slightly. He smiled, offering his hand. “Zayn.”

The muscular lad smiled, and he had a very, very cute smile. “Josh.” He shook his hand, and the power behind it was hard. Pretty damn hard.

_Knew it._

“Ah, I knew it was either Josh or Jack.”

Josh raised his eyebrows, licking his lips. “You've been thinking about me?”

Zayn hated to admit that he felt himself blush, before shaking his head. “Only to try and figure out your name.”

The shorter lad nodded, before laughing. “I'm just messing.” After a moment of silence, Zayn put his cigarette out, dropping it down before scuffing his heel over the blunted end. “I've thought about you, though.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. He also had a snapback on, also facing the wrong way, and Zayn wondered for a moment if this lad knew Niall. “I see you walking around all the time, and I, uh, never really had the balls to actually introduce myself.”

Zayn raised his eyebrows, keeping his eyes on the floor. He slid his hands in his pockets, wetting his lips.

_This guy was coming onto him._

“Well, now you have,” he said, turning his head to look at the lad, giving him a smile.

Josh released a quiet breath, before laughing. He nodded, licking his lips. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Yeah, that would be great. Let me just go and give this to my friend, and I'll meet you back out here.” He raised Perrie's cup, before using his free hand to pat the lad on the shoulder.

“Sure thing, take your time.”

Zayn smiled, smirking slightly as he worked away. Tonight was his night, it seemed. He pushed through the crowd once again, looking around, unable to find Perrie. A part of him worried slightly, because she could have gone off with some random tosser, not the tosser.

But, it was if it had been timed. And, Zayn had a strange suspicion that it had been. He looked at the stairs, listening to the chants.

“Horan!”

He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall, watching as the blonde came down the stairs, arms raised, fists clenched hard. He saw a pair of florescent pink underwear poking out of his shorts, and he inwardly scoffed. Licking the corner of his mouth, he crossed his arms as Perrie followed behind, looking oddly proud. She spotted him, her face breaking out in a grin as she hurried down the stairs, hands straightening out her dress.

He grinned himself, and it was really, really fucking genuine. He almost wanted to hug her because he knew the plan would work. He held out her drink for her, staring down at her flushed cheeks and mused hair. And, wow. Niall really must have wanted to do a number on her. Her lovely dress was ripped down the sides, and he could already see the forming bruises on the side of her neck, leading down the cleavage of her chest. His eyes flicked behind Perrie downing her drink, spotting the blonde chest bumping another lad. Niall smirked, turning to look at him. He practically beamed as he walked over, before weaving his arms around the blonde from behind.

“Tha' was fun,” he said loud enough for him to hear, lowering his mouth to press right against Perrie's ear.

She _giggled_ , leaning back into his weight.

Niall seriously looked so fucking smug, that he could tell his God damn cheeks would be hurting from the stupid look on his face. He licked his lips, purposely sliding his hand to the front of Perrie's dress, making her laugh and redden in the face.

_Well, she definitely wasn't shy._

Niall lifted his eyes up, staring at Zayn through his lashes, a slightly angered look on his face.

Zayn simply grinned back, eyes narrowed together from the power of it.

“Hey, I didn't know what you wanted,” a voice beside him suddenly said, and he turned his head.

_Josh._

Oh, God. This was fucking perfect.

Niall obviously didn't hear, his face turning more genuine as he spotted the shorter lad. “Mate!” He cheered, offering a hand for Josh.

Oh, fuck. If he wasn't pleased before, he was in fucking bliss, now.

_They knew each other._

Josh grinned, taking the hand. “Good to see you, Horan.” He turned his attention back to Zayn, holding out a beer for him. “Thought I'd play it safe,” he grinned, before licking his lips.

Zayn smiled, taking a step slightly closer. “Thanks, Josh.” He turned his attention back to the pair in front, watching as Niall's arms loosened slightly from Perrie. His eyes had narrowed, and he was sporting a pretty angry look of confusion.

“How d'you two know each other?” He asked, standing straight.

“Josh was the one who stopped me from getting completely battered that night I saved Harry's skin.” He smiled, looking at the lad beside him.

Josh's cheeks flushed slightly, before readjusting his cap. “It was no problem, really.”

Zayn put his hand on the shorter lad's shoulder, giving it a squeeze, and it felt like eyes were scolding between his face and hand.

Josh beamed to say the least, and he looked oddly adorable. “Do you maybe wanna dance?” He asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“Yeah,” he nodded, taking a long gulp from his beer, eyes on Josh's face the entire time. He handed the beer bottle to Niall, before giving him a firm pat on the face. “Cheers, mate.” He gave a wink down at Perrie, who grinned at him, sipping from her solo cup. His eyes flicked back up to Niall, almost laughing at how red his cheeks were, his body tensed and stiff.

Zayn smirked slightly, before following after Josh. Dancing started off pretty innocent at first, before Josh's leg slid between his own and his arm was wrapped tightly around his lower back, holding them together. Their foreheads were pressed together, one of his arms draped over the back of Josh's broad, muscular shoulders. He couldn't help but moan quietly as Josh guided their hips together, causing the shorter lad to pull their bodies tight. Before he knew it, the other lad had pressed their lips together in a tight kiss, causing Zayn's hand to slide up the side of his neck, returning the hard kiss with just as much fierceness. He smirked into the kiss when he felt something cover his hair, knowing for a fact that Josh had pulled his cap down over his own head. He kissed him even harder, their hips still moving slowly to the music. He opened his eyes slightly, looking over in the direction of the blonde. His smirk only grew.

Niall was _seething_.

He jaw was visibly tensed, his hands fisted at his sides, and a deep, aggressive look etched on his flushed face. Zayn hid his smile against Josh's lips, pushing his fingers through the back of his hair as he closed his eyes once again. He groaned into his mouth as the heavy hand slid down to his arse, giving a firm squeeze, all the while pulling him closer into his own body. He pulled back, needing to catch his breath. Josh kissed down the side of his neck, mouthing against his heated skin. He moaned as Josh rolled his hips against his own, his hand digging into the back of the shorter lad's neck as he bucked his hips forward.

When the song finished, the pair pulled apart, Zayn's hand sliding from the back of his neck and off his body completely. Josh grinned, cheeks red and hair ruffled.

“Josh!” A voice slurred. Zayn turned his head, watching as a stumbling, tall and lanky lad made his way over, knocking into people on the way. “Josh, I'm not feeling too good, mate.”

Josh frowned, arm wrapping around the lad's waist. “Yeah, alright,” he sighed, before turning to look at Zayn. “I, uh, have to take my _idiot_ room mate back. You wanna come with me?” He asked, raising his eyebrows, slightly hopeful.

Zayn slid his hands in his pockets, the music suddenly louder. “Nah, I'm gonna stick around for a bit. Keep an eye on my friend.” He reached back to take the hat off, before a hand in front of him stopped him.

“You keep it. You look better in it than I do, anyway.”

Zayn licked his lips, before nodding. “Have a good night.”

Josh smiled, before grunting as he dragged his friend out.

Zayn raised his eyebrows, licking his lips. He laughed once, before shaking his head, and shovelling his way out of the piling crowd, the euphoric feeling of the heat becoming too much. He climbed the stairs, desperate for the toilet. The one downstairs had a line leading out of the garden, so he'd take a miss on that one. He queued up, leaning against the wall as he readjusted the hat on his head, his hair effectively ruined.

He released something that sounded like a yelp as a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck, yanking him away from the line.

“What the fuck,” he mumbled, not in that much of shock as he was pushed into a dark room. He raised his eyebrows, looking down at the roughed up blue sheets and he bit back a smirk as he slowly turned to face the blonde. “Smells like a dead animal in here.”

Niall growled, slamming the door shut with enough power that Zayn could see the muscles roll in his arm. “Wha' the fuck was tha', Zayn.”

Zayn didn't answer, hands sliding back into his pockets as he gave a lazy shrug. “What was what?”

“You fuckin' know what. With Devine.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Devine?”

“Josh,” the blonde practically barked, running his fingers through his dishevelled hair.

“Ah. The cute one with nice hands. What about him?”

Niall growled, taking another step forward which was clearly supposed to be seen as threatening. “I told ya specifically t' stay away from guys.”

“ _Actually_ , as I recall, you said you'd _prefer_ if I stayed clear of guys.”

Niall was directly in his face now, braceless teeth slightly bared in what could only be explained and described as animalistic. “You _knew_ what I meant.”

“Did I, though?”

“I taught you were 'ere wit' the blonde!”

Zayn smirked, because this was the moment he'd been thinking about. He moved forward, pressing his chest against Niall's, looking him directly in the eye. “Who, Perrie? I did come here with her, but you were so desperate to prove a point that you, in fact, missed the whole thing. “ _You_ ,” he gestured, poking at the top of Niall's head. “Got big headed and thought I brought her here to make you jealous. So, you took it upon yourself to take my _“date”_ and proceed to fuck the poor girl to an inch of her life, because your fucking ego is sky high. When all in all, while you were fucking Perrie, the girl I work with, you missed out on the hottest guy at your party, hitting on me.” He said, lips pursed as he nodded slowly.

Niall's eyes had narrowed, and his chest was practically heaving against Zayn's. “You piss me off _so_ fuckin' much.” He said, voice dark and dangerous as he shook his head.

Zayn licked his lips, reaching up to touch his hat, just because he knew it would annoy Niall. The boy immediately grunted, yanking the hat from Zayn's head and throwing it down on the bed. Before Zayn had a chance to open his mouth and protest, he was being literally thrown on the bed, hearing one of the boards crack as he landed.

“Christ, Niall?!”

The blonde climbed on him, pulling Zayn's shirt up over his chest. Zayn's arms were forced to be lifted, but the shirt didn't go any further than that. He was suddenly well aware of the tight restrictions of his wrists, being yanked to the bed.

“Don't you fucking dare,” he warned, staring up at the blonde.

Niall smirked, leaning back to rock his hips down. “Wha's wrong? Not so fun bein' tied up is it?”

“You're a prick. A real fucking prick.”

“You stole my hat!”

“Too small for me anyway. Only fits your fat fucking head,” he growled, bringing his knee up to kick Niall roughly in the back.

The blonde laughed, that stupid fucking obnoxious laugh, leaning over into his desk. He pulled out what looked to be two small hearts, covered in pink glitter. He frowned, wondering what was the little prick's plan. It's not until he watched Niall pulled what looked to be stickers from the back that he realised exactly what they were.

“I swear to God.”

Niall grinned, and the form of smile made him look noticeably younger. “Got these as a present for me birthday last year.” He leaned down, pressing the sticky back against one of Zayn's nipples. He laughed, before removing the back of the other and following suit.

Zayn shook his head, before allowing it to fall back against the pillow. “You're an arsehole.”

“I am.”

He lifted his head, looking down at the fucking tassels hanging from his nipples, which were covered by glittery hearts. “I feel as if my masculinity has been ripped away from me.” He grunted as he lifted his eyes to stare at the lad on top of him.

“This is pay back, baby,” Niall said as he leaned down, pressing a kiss to his unresponsive lips. He laughed darkly before unbuckling Zayn's belt and undoing his jeans. He yanked them and his boxers down in one movement, pulling them clear off his legs; leaving him in his boots.

“You can't be serious,” he spat, watching as Niall stood, his jeans and underwear bunched in his hands. “Can you at least give me my phone, keys and smokes?”

Niall stopped, pulling out Zayn's phone. He raised his eyebrows for a moment, before stepping closer to the bed. “Smile,” he beamed, snapping a picture.

“Oh, my God,” he said under his breath, turning his head away as he shook his head.

Niall laughed, continuing to play with his phone until his own pocket vibrated. “Hope ya don't mind that I sent tha' to everyone in your phone book. I'm abou' to do the same with mine, don't worry.”

Zayn's nostrils flared, his joints burning as he gave a rough yank to his wrists. “My _Mum_ will fucking see that.”

Niall just smirked, not even bothering to returning his phone to him. “'Ave fun, pretty boy. Try not to disturb the mouse, yeah?” And, with that he left, his obnoxious laugh filling the hallway before he shut the door after him.

“Son of a bitch!” He growled, yanking at his arms. He yanked and yanked until he could feel his wrists beginning to ache, his chest heaving from part aggression, and part exertion from pulling so hard. He lift his head, staring down at his completely naked body. He looked to the door, thinking about calling for Liam. But, the fact that he could feel the bass from the shitty Skrillex song playing through the bed, proved to him that it was a loss cause. He sighed, dropping his head back down. When had his life turned into this? Fucking around with the biggest cock he's ever met. His Uni life wasn't supposed to go like this. This was _actually_ why he'd put off coming to a fraternity party for so long.

His mind ran for hours, the music changing into more and more shit. He occasionally sang along to the few he didn't mind, before he managed to drift off to sleep out of pure boredom.

He was awoken with a start, lifting his heavy head to look at the door. Light flooded into the room, causing him to squint.

“Here ya go, mate.” He blinked, hearing the heavy, slurred Irish accent. He could see another body, and for a fucking moment he really thought Niall had sent someone in to fuck him. He shook that thought out of his head as he released the tall lad stumbling towards him was Harry, groaning under his breath.

Harry dropped down on him hard , his body weight slamming down against his naked body. “Jesus Christ,” he breathed, the air partly knocked out of him. He lift his head, turning to look at the blonde swaying by the door.

“Sleep tight, baby,” he said, face completely blacked out due to the light

He growled, yanking hard on the restraints as the door closed. He grunted, dropping his head back with a defeated whine, shaking his head sluggishly.

Harry shuffled on top of him, lifting his legs from the floor so he was completely on the bed. He was lying painfully over his bare cock, pressed against his chest. “Mate, just fucking move a bit, please. My dick's hurting,” he groaned, trying to shift under the heavy weight. He looked down, feeling fingers moving up to his nipple. A breathless laugh sounded as Harry's fingers played with the tassel's like some sort of amused child. “Jesus Christ,” he breathed, moving to stare up at the ceiling. He definitely couldn't sleep now, even if he wanted to.

He frowned, feeling something hard press against the top of his knee. He lifted his head, trying to shift away from it, before hearing a deep groan rumble against his chest. The frown deepened, trying to move his leg away from the complaining boy before Harry groaned once again, a little more desperately. It's not until he felt Harry press his hips down that he realised just exactly what the hard lump was.

“Oh, my God,” he said in pure annoyance, feeling Harry's hips rock against his leg. “Harry, stop,” he ordered, trying to shift his leg away. “I'm not a fucking dog you can mount, you son of a bitch.” That didn't stop the heavy lad, though. He continued to thrust his hips down, groaning breathlessly against his stomach. Zayn might have found the situation somewhat hot if it wasn't for his cock trapped painfully between them and his wrists bound. He tried to move his leg once again, but this only seemed to spur the drunken bloke on, moving his hips with more purpose. He simply lay there, listening to the drunken groans as Harry fucking used his leg for his own pleasure, while he lay there completely naked and tied to the bed. Harry grunted one last time, his hips rocking down hard before stuttering and collapsing completely down against him, more than likely passing out by his heavy breathing.

Zayn shook his head, staring at the ceiling once again, his face scrunching up as he felt the wet heat spread against his leg.

“Jesus Christ,” he groaned, wrists yanking at his shirt once again. He growled in frustration, his skin turning a shade of pink from the heat Harry seemed to radiate.

 

He didn't know how long he lay there, hours more than likely, before the door opened once again. “Un-fucking tie me, right now, you dick,” he growled, before he realised it was Liam.

His best friend stared at him wide eyed, looking between him and Harry. He raised his finger, quickly wagging his finger between them, before Zayn quickly shook his head.

“No, fucking no. Just get him off me and untie me.”

The younger lad nodded, moving closer before pushing Harry off his body. His eyes widened, noting that Zayn was completely naked. Liam's eyes flicked up to his chest, a deep frown etching on his face. “Are those... Nipple tassel's?”

“Yes.”

“Right. What happened, exactly?”

“Why don't you ask that little blonde prick.”

Liam scoffed, obviously trying to force back a laugh. He stopped as he looked down at Zayn, seeing that he didn't find it funny in the slighest. “I told you to keep away from him.”

Zayn grunted, listening to the sound of his shirt suddenly ripping. “Unbelievable,” he said, shaking his head against the pillow. He sighed, yanking his arms free before standing up. He pushed past Liam straight away, hand covering his cock as he walked across the hall, looking between all of the closed doors. Liam stepped in front of him, opening his bedroom door for the lad. Zayn nodded, before entering. “Thanks.”

“So, care to tell me what happened?” Liam asked, leaning against the door frame.

Zayn shook his head, grabbing a pair of boxers from the younger lad's drawer, before tugging them up his legs. “What happened is that I'm gonna ring his fucking neck.” He pulled on a pair of sweats, before grabbing a plain white shirt. Before pulling it on, he smirked. “But, I've got to do something first.” He head back into Niall's poor excuse of a room, rolling Harry to the side to grab Josh's hat. He pulled it over his ruffled hair, before slinging the shirt over his shoulder.

He stepped back out of the room, looking at his best friend. “What happened to Perrie?”

Liam looked down to his chest, raising his eyebrows sightly.

Zayn looked down, before offering a thumbs up. He grabbed one, wincing slightly as he slowly pulled it off his nipple. “Fuck,” he groaned, dropping it to the floor, before rubbing at his nipple. He looked up, face screwed together.

“Don't worry about Perrie, a friend of hers took her home.” He frowned as he watched Zayn take off the second one, looking at the two hearts along the floor.

Zayn licked his lips for a moment, also staring down at them before picking them up and shoving them in his pocket.

Liam raised an eyebrow, but didn't question. “Z, listen. You and Niall clash, a lot. You're the same, but complete opposites in every way. I just think you should just call it a day.”

Zayn nodded, but that didn't mean he was paying attention. He smirked, slapping Liam on the chest, catching sight of his wrists. He suddenly frowned, fingers tightening in the front of Liam's jersey.

“Mother fucker!” He growled, looking at his bruised and battered wrists. He shook his head, before heading out of the room, and quickly jogging downstairs.

“Morning,” he said, heading straight into the kitchen. He could see the back of Niall's head, cradling of bowl full of cereal in one hand and a spoon in the other.

“Mornin',” he returned, and he heard the smirk before he saw it.

Zayn gave him a tight smile, before walking straight past him.

He walked straight over to Louis, before pressing him against the fridge and connecting their lips in a hard, strong kiss. He felt the surprised mouth against his own, before the lad relaxed, instantly kissing Zayn back. Zayn slid his hands to Louis' face, holding him against the closed fridge, while Louis' hands moved down to his waist. He smirked slightly, hearing the sound of a spoon clatter into a bowl. It went silent around the kitchen, but Zayn didn't pull away. Instead, he continued to kiss the blue eyed boy, sliding his tongue in his mouth as he moved his hands to wrap around Louis' wrists; leading his hands down to his arse, while pressing their bare chests together.

Louis groaned into the kiss, his hands squeezing Zayn's arse tightly. He slid his tongue against his own, the kiss deepening.

Zayn pulled away with a sharp smack of lips, smiling at the boy against him. He pat his face once, before pulling out of the hold and wiping his mouth with his fingers. He looked straight at the blonde as he began to walk, looking at his stunned and angered face.

“If you want to play it dirty, I'm more than happy to comply.” He smacked the bowl out of Niall's hand, listening as it clattered to the floor with a crash of broken solids.

Zayn grit his teeth, giving a nod to a shocked looking Liam as he passed and headed out of the _Kappa Delta Phi_ house, with _full_ intention of coming back.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Robyn, the giant bellend. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, thanks again for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks; I appreciate them all so much.

Things turned beyond competitive the following few weeks, both Zayn and Niall trading blows back and forth. A picture of him had 'suspiciously' been leaked of him as a kid with his dick tucked between his legs while he was wearing some of his mother's make up. It wasn't just that, though. No, of course not. Beneath it was the picture Niall had taken the night he was tied to the bed, with those _fucking_ nipple pads on, but his cock had been blurred. To finish it off, the slogan beneath it read, 'In every man, there's a woman desperate to come out.' Finished with his number in big, black numbers beneath it. His phone had been ringing off the hook (which Liam had thankfully returned as well as his other stuff), and one call in particular tipped him off. 

He was laying on his bed, reading an assortment of poetry which could be described as set in a dystopian time, when his phone went off. 

“Yeah,” he answered, before folding the book down on his chest. 

“I just wanted to know when you realised you were a fairy.” 

He frowned, sitting up on the bed. “About same time that you became an arsehole. Who the fuck is this?” 

Laughter filled his phone before the phone went dead. It confused him, because people had been staring at him like he had grown a second and third head while he was walking back from office. But, he pushed it aside. It wasn't until he was walking down to The Coffee Bean off campus that he spotted the first one. 

 _The poster._  

To say he was furious was an understatement, but he couldn't show it. That's exactly what the little prick wanted. He didn't even question how the picture of him as a kid came out. Niall already had an advantage living under the same roof as Liam.

When he went to confront him, he was surprised he hadn't seen all of these fucking posters. They were literally _everywhere._

Once he practically broke a hole through the _Kappa Delta Phi_ door, he was met with a cocky Niall who gave him nothing but a smirk in return. He could literally smell the strong pang of glue coming off of him, and it took every restraint in his body not to punch him straight in the jaw. 

That wasn't even the worst of it.

Zayn had crashed at Liam's one night last week, just in the intention of fucking with the blonde. At around 2 AM, the lad had silently walked across the hall, into Niall's room, where the blonde was passed out with some ditsy looking chick. Zayn had taken the nipple pads from his pocket, as well as the _super glue_ and proceeded to carefully stick the hearts on Niall's nipples. Needless to say, he wasn't happy the next morning when he tried to rip them off. Zayn simply smirked around his cup of coffee as he listened to the loud cussing upstairs. 

Liam had sighed, taking a bite out of his toast as he stared at Zayn through his judgemental eyes. “Zayn, you should stop now. Niall lives for this. He takes it upon himself to organise the hazing for the new pledges. He's done some... Pretty awful things. I don't want you to get hurt.”

Zayn just scoffed. 

Things pretty much proceeded like that. 

Niall's car got egged in the middle of the night. 

A rumour went around that Zayn had herpes. 

Blondie was found to have a stash of almost a hundred of _The Mature Man_ gay magazine edition. 

But, it was the night that Niall spiked Zayn's drink with sleeping pills and left him in a running shower, that they finally knocked heads. After Zayn had finally managed to wake himself up enough to get up, he'd pounded on Niall's bedroom door, uncaring that he was in the middle of fucking a chick with a blue fringe. 

“Get out,” he ordered, holding the door open.

“I'm a bit busy,” the blonde replied, smirking as he looked up at him. 

“Get. Out.”

The girl had quickly pushed Niall off, before gathering her clothes and leaving, mumbling something under her breath about drinking too much vodka soda. 

“This has gone too far,” he growled, slamming the door. He watched as Niall disposed of his condom, before pulling his shorts up.

“Are ya admittin' defeat?”

Zayn pushed his fingers through his wet hair, shivering slightly from his soaked clothes. He shrugged, before nodding tiredly. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

Niall's smirk faded slightly, slipping down into an almost unpleased frown.

“I'm tired of looking over my shoulder everywhere I go, and I'm tired of opening up a box of doughnuts at work, scared that you've somehow spiked the eclair with laxatives." 

The blonde's eyebrow rose, “Tha's a good one. Should 'ave taught abou' tha'.” 

Zayn sighed, feeling drops of water roll down his neck. “That's not the point I'm trying to make here. The point is that I'm done.” 

Niall frowned, hands shoved into his pockets. “What d'ya mean you're _done_.” 

“I mean I'm done with this all, man. I'm done with the fucking around.” He swallowed, before gesturing to him. “I'm done with you.”

“Wait a sec.”

“No, let me finish.” 

Niall continued to frown, taking a step forward as he licked his lips.

“Liam was right. We clash too much, and I'm not the type of person to go out of my way just to think of how to fuck someone's day up. I stayed up until _3 AM_ today, just to think of a new way to fuck with you, and all I could think of was putting Nair in your shampoo. If I fuck up someone's day, it'll be completely at my own will, not after _hours_ of scheming. It was fun for a little bit, but I'm bored of it. And, if I get another fucking call asking me about my coming out story, I swear to God. I will blow my brains out.” He dropped his arms, having obviously been gesturing widely the whole time, chest heaving, slightly. 

Niall sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Can I at least get me hat back?”

Zayn felt as if his stomach dropped, his fingers twitching at his side. What was he expecting? A speech how they could _maybe_ remain friends? Hey, no hard feelings. All in good fun. But, maybe this was for the better. Niall stressed him out, and he couldn't be taking that with everything going on. The last thing he needed was to worry about another person in his life; he was just a burden. 

So, he nodded. “Yeah, you can have your damned hat back.” But, he didn't stop there. “God forbid something happen to one of your fucking hats, right?” 

“Wha' is your problem, Zayn? You fuckin' tell me you're done with me, then you get all pissy tha' I agree?” 

Zayn shook his head, hands on his hips. “You fought so fucking hard just to get one over on me, but with the potential of me...” He stopped, staring at the blonde, who stared back at him, waiting for him to continue. “Do you know what, just forget it. It doesn't matter.” He waved him off, before laughing once; turning towards the door.

“No, go on. Say it. Tell me how it is. Or are ya too much of a pussy to even do tha'.” 

Something in his head snapped, and was if he was seeing red. 

“You shut the fuck up,” he growled, turning back to face Niall who was standing there looking equally as pissed. “You put so much fucking effort in when we first met, you even go out of your fucking way to make sure that _I_ know who I _apparently_ belong to. You have the fucking _nerve_ to get pissed when I even look at another dude, but the minute I say enough is enough, you're about to let me fucking go? What the fuck is that about. You spout this shit that I'm different, and how you wouldn't go for a guy. You even asked me to fucking stay the night in that very bed, telling me it was such a big deal because you don't have people to stay. You tell me to stay away from other guys, so what? So you can come and pick me up whenever you want?” He took a step forward, teeth clenched and jaw taut. “You're stringing me along for your own personal pleasure. And, I'm not gonna be one of the many that stay stuck on the same track for their Uni life. You can go _fuck_ yourself. You didn't even give a fuck when I turned up here black and blue after pulling Harry out of that fight.”

“I told ya to stay. I was lookin' out for you.”

Zayn's eyes narrowed, “You think telling me to _stay_ at this shit hole after I got my arse handed to me is looking out for me?” He laughed suddenly, rocking his head back to stare at the ceiling. “That's the only thing that stuck after all that? The one thing that you thought was you being a good Samaritan, you defend.” He sighed, smacking his pockets to make sure he had all of his soaked belongs; good thing he left his phone at home. “It's done now, it's over.” He turned on his heel, and left that room with no intention of coming back, this time. He'd washed his hands of the situation.

“Zayn." 

He didn't turn back and he didn't wait to hear the empty words, pushing through the crowded hallway and heading down and out of the house. He shrugged off his best friend who tried to get him to halt, because he knew if he stopped, he might not leave again. He never wanted to be roped into this. Roped into actually having _feelings_ for someone who was a lost cause.

So, that's what he did. He headed back to his dorm, freezing and wet with complete purpose to get on with life. Not even bothering to stop and punch the guy who called him a fairy, on the way.

  

Zayn stared blankly at Stuart as he stood at the front of the office for the first time since break, reading off new column’s for this month's magazine.

“As it's the start of a brand new semester, it's the campus' favourite time. Rush Week." 

The majority of the office cheered, and Zayn, for the life of him, couldn't understand why. Why were people so fucking happy for Rush Week? Because it gave them the opportunity to sign up to a fraternity or sorority which they'll be bound to for the rest of their University life? Maybe he was just being a sour grape, but from what he'd seen, he didn't understand the thrill of being a part of either, or. He knew he was being biased, because he really didn't know what happened; considering his school life consisted of him being in his office, or his dorm.

“We got reports that the magazine wasn't up to standards and it's been voted that there needs to be more about campus life. The school board doesn't believe that there's enough about the students and the activities. So, to stop us from getting completely axed, it's been decided that we'll to be doing an article on Greek Life. Which will consist of Rush Week and the next three weeks to follow. If the board like it, and see progress, we'll continue with Greek Life until the end of semester. _Then_ , if that goes well, their will be a column on Greek Life in the magazine permanently. We'll be looking into things such as the pledge process, induction and initiation. Maybe associating and induction if it goes well. We've also been honoured to be able to see into a typical meeting of a fraternity. ” 

So, to say he was less than pleased when Stuart's eyes fell on him among the many was an understatement. He never wanted to be more invisible.

“Why are you looking at me?” He asked, once he realised that it wasn't just a wondering gaze. It was a _fixed_ look. Of course he knew why it was him. Shit-head Liam liked to drop in frequently.

“Well, because besides Amy who's,” he lowered his voice, before shielding his mouth with his hand in the most painfully obvious way possible, “now _ex_ boyfriend is apart of _Phi Kappa Theta_ , you're the only one who has any _real_ connection to Greek Life.” 

Zayn groaned, leaning back further into his chair; just wishing to shrink and disappear completely. 

“It's been decided, anyway. We've spoken to the president of the chapter, and they're more than happy for you to sit in with them for their annual associating committee, while also being able to interview the pledges and brothers. It's all been planned, Zayn. It'd be as if you declined a bid. Very disrespectful. If you're also hoping to remain an editor, refusing an article is not the best start.”

He pressed his hands against his face, but nodded none the less, groaning as he lent into the retracting seat. He'd been wondering why Liam had been blowing up his phone since five this morning. Now, he knew why. 

It's bad enough that he had to listen to Liam talk day in, day out about the fucking thing for their entire break, and now he was going to be apart of it. 

_Great. Just fucking great._

He pushed himself up to sit straight, sucking in a breath. No point wussing out. “Right, so when do they want me?” 

He clenched his teeth at his own words, his hand tight around the mechanical pencil Perrie had lent him. 

_He'd rather chew glass._

“You start bright and early tomorrow, Malik.” Stutart grinned, showing off a pair of teeth which were clearly fake. He knew the dude used to play rugby, so it wasn't hard to put one and one together. Nobody had teeth like that. 

He ran his hand through his recently cropped hair, fingers tousling through the short length, before nodding. “Sure, whatever.” He agreed, rubbing at his eyebrow, giving a tight smile.

“Wonderful! It's sorted, then. Okay, moving on to the next topic. The discussion of the new app the school has.”

 

“Liam, mate. Calm the fuck down,” he mumbled, cigarette hanging between his lips as he walked back towards his dorm. His eyes flicked over to the bulletin board, seeing his own washed out face still plastered there; decaying from the heavy load of rain that fucked up their break. “I'm just there to study you, this does _not_ mean that I'm pledging.” 

“Yeah, but you're a part of it!” Liam's more than chipper voice blared into the phone. “You'll get to see what I had to do. You'll love it.” 

“I highly doubt that. Listen, don't make this a big fucking thing, alright? I don't want to do it, but I have to. So, I swear to God, if you make this worse for me then it already is, I will shove my foot down your throat.”

Liam of course just laughed, because that's what Liam does whenever Zayn offers a violent comment.

He took another drag of his cigarette, before shaking his head, holding it down in his lungs. “Not too keen on seeing your friends.” 

Liam was one of those people who gave it away when they were smiling while on the phone; his voice completely evident of it. “You should have seen Harry's face when I told him you were coming. Lad's buzzing, Z.”

Zayn nodded, exhaling the smoke. “Bet he is. Little shit owes me an apology.”

“Just to let you know, you're gonna have to undertake the standard procedure and answer a few questions. All pictures and text documents have to be approved by Louis.” 

“Why Louis?” 

“He's the president.” 

_Of course he was._

“Prepare yourself, mate.”

  

He was up and showered by half seven, and out of the dorm by eight. He stopped down by the dining hall, grabbing a custard doughnut and coffee before heading over to _Greek Row_. To say it was packed wouldn't even come close. The street was cramped with girls and boys. He looked down at the pavement, which was practically covered with leaflets. He raised his eyebrows, looking at how basic and boring a large majority of them appeared. _Alpha Eta Rho_ was unbelievably boring. The background brown with yellow lettering. He screwed his face up in annoyance, spotting one for _Delta Phi Epsilon_ which could only be described as candy pink and romantic. If he were a girl, he wouldn't touch that sorority with a ten foot pole. 

Zayn sighed, raising the camera from around his neck to take various pictures of the growing throng of people, and the decked out houses, dressed in welcoming banners. His eyes fixed on the _Kappa Delta Phi_ house, looking at the sign which was undoubtedly crooked. He was already miffed for having to do this, and he had a feeling he was going to continue being irked throughout the day. He started towards the house, allowing the camera to hang around his neck as he - as nice as possible - barged through the oncoming crowd. A lot of people seemed to be congested around the _Kappa Delta Phi_ house, and he wasn't surprised. Half of these kids were here for the party basis, or the chicks.

He managed to manoeuvre around the growing accumulation, climbing the stone stairs up into the doubled doors. He hadn't really noticed simple details like this before, and that oddly surprised him. He was never _not_ observing his environment, but he left that down to the fact that he really didn't want to be there, every time he went. Even now. But, this was important. And he wasn't selfish or reckless enough to lose his position in the magazine just for his own feelings. Angered feelings, mind.

He took a close up photo of the house, making sure to get proof that he was _actually_ here. The house was in chaos, people rushing around everywhere. He could spot a few of the brothers, talking to the potential pledges. He'd been reading up last night, and spent about three hours on the phone with Liam who had, nicely enough, offered a hand. He'd learnt that today, the boys and girl would walk around, introducing themselves to the fraternities and sororities, and give reasons as to why they would make a good edition. In the end, they should really narrow it down to two, because any more would make it look as if you weren't serious enough, and couldn't make quick choices; which meant you weren't reliable.

“Zayn!” He turned his head, finding the voice of Liam through the crowd, stationed at a table with both Harry and Dexter. 

He nodded, raising his fingers to signal that he'd heard, before pressing forward until he was at the sidelines of the desk. It wasn't before long before Harry had climbed over the small, breakable looking table and was heading to him like a bullet. Arms wrapped around him tightly, his own face pressed at an unusual angle against the lad's shoulder. 

He clapped the taller bloke's back, raising his chin slightly to catch his breath. “Good to see you, Harry,” he said with a smile, because he had, oddly missed the idiot. 

Harry grinned, his dimples popping as he looked at him. “Sorry for getting off on your leg. If it lightens the situation, that's probably the hardest I've come in a while,” he beamed, proudly.

Zayn scoffed, “You're obviously not fucking the right girls, then, mate.”

Harry laughed, and it made him feel a little easier in such a tense situation. He didn't like it here, it was worse than being here for a party.

“Liam says you need to interview us all. It's kind of like you're rushing,” he smirked, giving a nudge to his stomach.

“Great.”

“I like your hair, Zayn.”

“Thanks, mate.”

 

By nine, he'd been pulled into the dining hall, which was decorated pretty nicely, he had to admit. A dark table cloth had been draped over the table, as well as seats completely set out, with papers full of information.

He sighed, setting his wallet, phone, keys, bag and the rest of his belongings on the table, as well as his camera. 

Louis stood in front of him, arms crossed as he waited patiently. “Makes a difference for you to _actually_ cooperate.”

“Don't get used to it.” Zayn warned, scratching his neck before he was forced to lift his arms out to the side. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, biting back the sarcasm which threatened to spew from his mouth like a kettle. He stood there as he was pat down, the large hands giving it away immediately. He heard the snicker behind him as two palms pressed over his pecks.

“Very funny,” he sighed, licking at the inside of his lip as his crotch was suddenly grabbed. “ _Harry_ , man,” he cautioned, jaw clenching at the laugh.

“Procedure.”

After a good few minutes of being _completely_ violated, his camera had been scanned and he was told of major dos and don'ts. 

“You're allowed to talk to any of the rushee's, but you can't influence them in their decisions.”

“Be yourself, obviously, but don't be dishing out that sarcastic wit of yours that we all _love_.”

“No pictures of anyone who's not willing.”

“No entering sororities.” 

“And, definitely _no_ entering rivalry houses.”

He nodded as each rule was told to him, swinging his arms by his side, clapping them at every meeting of his hands. “Got it.”

“You have to report back to me at the beginning of each day and at the end of each evening, and if I'm not there, you find either Harry, Liam or Niall."

_Fat chance of that happening._

"You're gonna see some nitty gritty shit, and you may not like it all, but it's part of Greek Life. You'll also be enrolled into our meetings, but they're confidental and you can't write about them unless I give you permission."

Zayn didn't question anything, simply nodded as his stomach dropped lower and lower.

“Nice hair, by the way.”

“Cheers.”

 

He was currently walking around the house, having just finished an interview with Matt, who was your typical form of 'frat boy'. Wearing his 'letters' (he knew that, thanks to Liam), with the shark tooth necklace and checked shorts. Lad fit right in. He was pretty helpful, though. He'd managed to answer all of Zayn's questions, while helping one of the wondering boy's find where he needed to go. He was more than happy to pose for a photo, taking it upon himself to crouch on top of the mantelpiece which held important memorabilia of _Kappa Delta Phi_. He should have been nervous that Matt was at risk of breaking his neck, but he wasn't.

He was more nervous at the fact that he hadn't seen Niall yet, which, in all honestly, was making him feel on edge. He wouldn't say he was _nervous_ , but he was definitely... Well, yeah. He was nervous.

He was wondering around the living room, spotting a guy sitting on his own, staring at the leaflet hard enough to burn a hole through it. Zayn sat down next to him, notebook resting on his lap. He offered a tight smile, before giving a nod.

“Hey, man. How you doing?” 

The boy looked up, giving him a slightly sceptical look, staring at him as if this was some form of test.

“I'm not part of the fraternity,” he clarrified.

“Oh,” he said, shoulders slumping slightly, looking instantly relaxed. “Who are you, then?” 

“I'm writing an article about all of this for the magazine, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

The guy's eyebrows rose, shifting his body towards Zayn a little. 

_Good body language._

“What's your name?”

“Dylan.” 

Zayn noted his name, before wetting his lips. “Why do you want to be apart of _Kappa Delta Phi_ , Dylan?”

“I'm a legacy,” he said with a nod of his head, as if that answered everything.

Zayn gazed up from his writing, waiting for a few moments for another reply, eyebrows raised. “That's not what I asked.”

Dylan frowned, rubbing at the back of his knuckles with his thumb. “I want to join because I'm a legacy.”

“If you weren't a legacy, would you still consider joining?”

Shrug. “Maybe, but, probably not.” 

Wow, he'd already found something remotely interesting. “So, you're joining because your Dad was a part of the fraternity?”

“Basically, yeah.” 

Zayn opened his mouth, frown fixed on his face. His eyes flicked behind Dylan, meeting Louis'. His eyebrows were raised, and he had the ghost of a smirk on his face. He shook his head slowly, and it was as if he could  _hear_ his fucking voice in his brain.

_You're aloud to talk to any of the rushee's, but you can't influence them in their decisions._

He turned his attention back to Dylan, who was waiting expectedly for some sort of response. Zayn fixed a smile on his face, before nodding, “Good for you, mate.” After he convinced himself to keep his mouth shut, he proceeded. “Do you think you'd make a good brother?”

Another shrug. “Maybe.” 

_Alright._

“What about the fraternity as a whole. Do you think you're cut out for brotherhood?”

“I guess.” 

Fucking hell, he didn't know what was annoying him more: the fact that he couldn't say anything other than an 'on the fence' answer, knowing he couldn't protest, or the fact that he could see that this kid really wasn't cut out for it, and didn't want to be apart of it.

After another ten minutes of shitty answers, he realised that he couldn't actually make a story about this. All he had was that this kid was a legacy, and he thought the Bears “ruled”. 

Zayn had smiled, adding a: “Thanks, that's all I need,” before getting the fuck out of there. So, since he'd arrived, he'd been groped, questioned _and_ bored to death. And, it wasn't even ten yet. He moved into the kitchen, helping himself to a drink of coffee, because he wouldn't survive without it at this rate. Once he'd drained the cup, he moved on to talking to others he found. 

“Kill me now,” he breathed as he head out towards the crowd of people once again.

 

By the time it was 6PM, he was completely out of it. He'd sat in on a meeting, listening to Liam talking about the plans for the week. He could tell there was a string of bullshit in his words, and his eyes narrowed obviously as he folded his arms across his chest. He was stationed in the corner of the room, _unable_ to sit at the main table. Halfway through of Liam describing that they were planning on going 'bowling', the door opened, revealing a flushed face blonde.

He'd go to his grave saying that his heart didn't spike, looking over the lad. He had his letters on, and something about seeing him in that way made him look incredibly sexy. Liam stopped, and all eyes turned to look at the new arrival. 

“Niall,” Louis voiced, an unsatisfied look on his face; stationed beside Liam. “You're late. And, by the looks of it, it looks like you've _fucked_ someone while wearing your letters. You know what that means, Horan.” 

 _Horan._  

He'd heard his last name before, but he hadn't really paid any mind to it. He was either trying to make him jealous, or figuring out how to ruin his day. It was pathetic of him, really. Stupid as it was, it was a shock to hear his last name. They really didn't know a fucking thing about each other. A part of that made his stomach tighten, in both good and bad ways. Bad because it proved that it really was just fucking, and good because... He didn't really know. There wasn't anything to attach them, really. He scratched at the side of his nose, watching as the familiar smirk lit up his face. 

“Yeah, I know the routine. I'll put it in the account.” With that, he dropped himself down a chair, legs folding up on the table, with his arms crossed behind his head. It was a surreal feeling as Niall lifted his gaze and their eyes fixed. He watched as his smirk slipped slightly, eyes narrowing for a moment. Zayn immediately dropped the gaze, a frown appearing on his own face. He shook his head to himself, branding himself an idiot for allowing himself to feel something as immature as... No. He wouldn't say it. He looked down at his notepad, licking at the front of his teeth as Liam started talking, once again. When he lifted his eyes once again, the blonde was still staring at him, and for the briefest of seconds, it looked like a soft sort of smile, before in the blink of an eye it was gone, and he was interrupting Liam with a scoff.

Zayn felt the ridiculous beat of his heart stutter against his ribs, and forced the thoughts about it all.

“Niall, did you manage to get _bowling_ sorted?” Liam asked, making it as obvious as possible. Zayn snorted slightly, receiving a few looks from the table. He held his hand up, pretending to wipe under his nose.

Niall smirked at him, blinking slowly. “Yeah, bowlin's sorted. Managed to get a good price on everythin', and I've already totalled it up.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a couple of small pieces of paper, before sliding them across the table to Louis. “Tha's actually why I was late. Well, I did get sucked off, but she was doin' it while I was writin' it in the books. I already put my fine in.” 

Zayn couldn't help but be surprised. He'd thought that Niall was one of the many who had just done it to have an excuse to party, but apparently not. He didn't know the exact name of what he must have been, but it definitely had to be a _big_ role if it involved money. 

Louis looked through the scraps of paper, giving a nod before handing them back. “Nice job.” 

Niall stuffed the paper - what he guessed were receipts - back into his pocket, before resuming his previous position.

Zayn found something oddly sexy about this. The way Niall seemed to have gained a lot of trust to be aloud to carry the whole chapter when it came to money. He quickly jotted down 'Money?' next to Niall's name, before tapping at the paper, listening to the meeting.

  

The house was fucking crawling with potential pledges by the time it hit eight. Zayn had been _excused_ to go back and have a bite to eat, but he was unable to take any of his things, which had been stored safely in Liam's bedroom. So, when he turned up, he really wasn't surprised to see that the bus wasn't there to take them all to 'bowling'. He was greeted with a cheer, being now referred to as 'news reporter boy'. Better than queer, so he'd take it. The music wasn't as loud as it usually was, and a whole other song was playing over the one echoing through the house. He frowned, barely taking one step in before an arm was thrown around his neck and he was being dragged upstairs.

“'Nother night at the alley, ay, mate,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Liam.

The younger boy grinned, ruffling the back of Zayn's hair. 

 _Not that there was hair to ruffle._  

“I wanted to keep it a surprise!” 

“Nice job.” 

“Thank you. I know you don't mean it, but I'll take it, anyway.” 

Zayn rolled his eyes, “Where are we going?” 

“I'm lending you some clothes.”

“What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?” 

“Depends. You got trunks on?” 

He instantly froze, body tense. “Is that a joke?” 

Liam sighed, continuing to pull him up the stairs and towards his room. “You don't have to get in the pool, but you're gonna get wet, so you need a pair of trunks.” 

Zayn released a breath, but allowed himself be towed. He began to unbuckle his jeans while Liam riffled through his drawers, grabbing two pairs of swimming trunks. 

“Hey, mate.” May as well ask, he'd been wondering about it since the meeting. “What's Niall's role in the fraternity?” 

Liam chucked him a blue and black pair of trunks, decorated with various sizes of flowers, remembering them vividly from their trip to Hawaii back when they were sixteen at the end of Year Eleven. “He's the Treasurer.”

Zayn raised his eyebrows, because he _definitely_ wasn't expecting something as formal as that. “Wow, that's a big role.” 

Liam nodded, pulling off his shirt. “He's probably the smartest guy here, mate. He majors in Mathmatics and minors in Business. He takes Spanish for extra credit--” 

If it were possible, his jaw would have hit the floor.

“-- He puts on this kind of persona. You'd never think so, I know. But, that's how he wants to be seen.” 

Zayn swallowed, pushing down his jeans, leaving his boxers on in case someone thought it'd be hilarious to pants him. He left his shirt on, as well, not wanting to parade around shirtless in case he didn't actually participate. He wasn't planning on. 

“C'mon, bud,” Liam said happily, wrinkles formed around his eyes. 

Zayn sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets before kicking off his shoes and socks. “Here goes nothing.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all. Well, been.... A long time coming, to say the least. Already started writing the next chapter after this, so shouldn't be too long before the next one is up. Truly sorry for making you wait so long, but hopefully I'm back in the swing of things.

Zayn didn't bother putting up a fight as he was towed downstairs, a beer pressed into his hand by a grinning David – who was actually a pretty nice guy, he had to admit – before he was outside, Liam refusing to let up until they were in the middle of it all. He raised his eyebrow, looking over the assortment of people, old and new, ranging from seniors to freshman, Brothers and average students. With a quick scan, he noticed there were a third of girls compared to guys.

“Bit of a circle jerk, init?” He asked, glancing at the younger lad pressed against him, wide grin on his face, looking over the party with such pride, he couldn't help but stifle a laugh. This is where they were completely opposite, and fuck knows they looked it, too. Where Liam was all smiles and bright eyes, he was all blank expressions and bored gazes. They were each others counterpart, it was hilarious. Well, he thought so, at least.

Liam laughed, but shrugged. “You could say that. But, you wouldn't expect to see that many chicks at a 'fraternity tryout' would you?” He turned to look at him, eyebrow raised, a smirk tugging at one side of his mouth, knowing that he was right.

_Even Liam Payne could be a sly fuck._

“Yeah, alright, dickhead.” Zayn shook his head, cracking open the twist off, chucking it down on one of the glass tables close by, taking a long sip as he looked around. He eyed the bouncy castle, which looked more like an obstacle course than anything, groups of guys fighting to make it to the end first. He gestured to the entire garden in front of them with his bottle, swallowing the weak as shit beer with a grimace, glancing at the bottle before turning his attention back to his mindset. “Give me a once over as to what's happening here, mate.”

Liam nodded, clapping him on the back. “Gladly. Well, like I told you, rush week is all about potential pledges scouting out different fraternities to see which they'd like to join. This'll last five days, and it just gives dudes a chance to take the opportunity to get to know a certain fraternity, ask questions, and all around, just have a good time.”

Zayn chewed at a piece of skin on his bottom lip, gaze altering between Liam and the garden as he spoke, ears perking at the sound of Tyler, The Creator, forcing himself to remain focused. He was here to work after all, not actually enjoy himself. “So, you gonna have a party every night?” He asked, taking another sip of beer. He frowned with the swallow, eyes dropping down to the label again, looking at the less than poor percentage.

_Tasted like weak piss, to put it nicely._

Liam shook his head, scratching at one of his shoulders. “We'll do something different each day. I can't tell you, but it's all been planned out. It's gonna be great, I can't wait.” He finished with a big grin, enough to have his eyes creasing at the sides again.

“Should I be taking notes?” Zayn asked, pointing his thumb back towards the house, wondering if he should go and grab his pad and pen.

“Nah, don't worry about it. Just have a good time tonight, i'll fill you in tomorrow if you need reminding.”

Zayn would never admit it, but he was honestly thankful for Liam. He honestly didn't know how he'd cope through most of life without his best friend there to guide him, to pick him up when he fell. He'd – right hand to God – lay his life out for the lad.

He turned to look at the wide, long pool towards the left of the garden, having never noticed it before, until today. He almost flinched when one guy took a risking run and dove straight into the pool, side on, jaw tight as he cut through the water, cheers greeting him when his head broke through the surface.

He wanted to stay as far away from that pool as possible at all costs, not even wanting to be this close, and they was at least ten meters away from it. That was too close for his liking, even.

Zayn gazed over to the main set up of music, large speakers pilled on top of each other, as well as scattered all around the obscenely sized garden, making the grass and concrete vibrate with the deep bass. One – extremely over-active, in his opinion – man stood behind a decks, mixing Domo23 with what sounded like a fucking Ellie Goulding song? Two don't go together at all, but somehow the dude made it work, making a smooth transition into a clearly remixed version of Figure 8.

“How the fuck do you afford all of this?” He asked, looking around at the completely overdone garden, crates of beer and alcohol pilled through the lawn, as well as booths, by the look of it, one being one of those ridiculous contraptions that had someone sitting over a large cylinder of water, while others paid to throw balls at the targe to dunk them.

“Niall gets us really good deals, plus, you wouldn't think it, but we make a profit out of the stalls. You'd be surprised how many people would pay to embarrass their friends."

He wasn't all that surprised, really.

Zayn nodded, taking another sip of beer, only to practically choke when a palm slapped his back, the glass scraping over his front teeth, beer spilling down his chin. His eyebrows pulled together in annoyance, turning his head to look at Harry who was grinning at him, clearly having not even realised what he'd done.

“I'll take you on the obstacle course,” he proposed, wagging his eyebrows, looking completely devilish.

Zayn glanced over to the blow up course, watching people slide more than they would with just water, no doubt having soap all along the floor of it. He thought about making a witty comment to the way Harry had phrased his sentence, but thought better of it. Instead, he scoffed, wiping his chin with the back of his hand. “I think I'll pass. Cheers, though.” He raised his beer to his mouth, before abruptly stopping as Harry continued.

“What's wrong? Chicken?” Harry urged, elbowing him in the ribs.

It was pathetic, really, how easily he took the bait. Being teased by such an idiot shouldn't rile him up, but he was always a sore sucker when branded a 'chicken'. Call him competitive.

_Or a fucking idiot._

He licked his lips, laughing under his breath, eyebrows raised as he lowered the bottle. “Alright,” he agreed with a slow nod, jaw flexing for a moment.

Harry smirked, “Care to make it interesting? First one to the end of the course wins. Loser has to get dunked.” He gestured over his shoulder to blonde girl causing a splash in the water, people a like cheering in triumphant.

Zayn clenched his jaw even more firmly, licking the back of his teeth, looking over the deep set water, knowing it wouldn't be that much of a problem. He had the strength to pull himself out of that easily, it was just the plunge that would frighten him. After a moment, he sighed slowly through his nose, before nodding, gaze lifting back to Harry.

“Fine, sounds fair,” he agreed, setting his beer down on the table. He could see Liam giving him a sceptical look from the corner of his eye, knowing he was half surprised and half expecting it.

Harry's smirk changed into a grin, clapping him on the shoulder before stepping behind him and leading him over to the inflatable by his shoulders, pushing his weight down as he jumped to gain attention. “Louis!” He yelled, before removing his hands to stick four fingers in his mouth to whistle loud enough to have Zayn flinching slightly in surprise. Harry simply laughed, wrapping one arm around the front of Zayn's shoulders, pulling him against his bare chest, thumping him on the chest.

Louis turned, eyebrows raised, breaking conversation with a group of girls.

“Need you to come be an announcer. Zayn and I have a little bet goin' on, need it to be fair and all.” Harry announced, giving Zayn another squeeze, laughing against his ear.

Louis' face immediately lit with interest, lips quirking up at the side, giving a nod as he slowly stepped over. “Gladly, mate. What's the deal here first? Just so I know all the facts."

Zayn sighed, instantly regretting his decision to do so, hating the drawn in crowd as Liam cleared the course of students. He closed his eyes, shaking his head at himself for being so ridiculous, cracking his fingers out of habit where they hung tensed by his sides.

Harry paused for a moment, seeming to ponder this. “ _Three beers_ , one lap around the course. Loser gets dunked.”

Zayn immediately turned his head, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “That's a new addition,” he accused, although he wasn't all that bothered. Maybe this could actually help him. Sad as it was, after three months of bumming around his house while he decided what the fuck to do with his life, he picked up a party drink out of pure boredom. So, he practically had to force the frown to remain on his face, not wanting to look even remotely relieved.

When he was met with a smirk, he knew he'd done what intended, receiving a pat to the shoulder, before being towed over to a table, where a couple of the Brothers set up six beers on either side of the table, propped up close to the start of the course.

He sighed, clenching his hand for a moment as Louis came to stand at the head of the table, looking between the pair of them, people gathering to see main attraction.

_Main attraction my arse._

“Ready, lads?”

The pair nodded, bumping fists before they waited for Louis' signal, which was a loud cheer of ' _go_ ', both reaching for the first beer.

Zayn cracked his bottle open, purposely tagging his first few mouthfuls slowly, while Harry smirked and downed half of his bottle. As soon as the lad moved to his second bottle, Zayn cranked it up, finishing the first bottle in a few glugs, grabbing the second and doing the same before Harry had even reached half way, panic suddenly looming on his face. While he was cracking the third and final one, his eyes flicked up to Louis, spotting Niall standing beside him, both holding expressions of either interest, confusion or amusement. He couldn't figure it out, the smirk clearly went for anything with them. He downed the last beer, before dropping it down on the table, shooting Liam a look, who gestured wildly for him to go to the course.

So, he did. He jogged to the bouncy castle, climbing on with ease at first, trying to bolt through the various obstacles, all the while his feet continued to slip out, falling into inflatable walls and palm trees. He made it half way in when a hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him back into the wall. He honestly was a little shocked, watching as Harry bolted past him, practically taking one of the inflatable palm trees as a hurdle. He blinked in shock, pushing himself up to continue through it, favouring the left side considering it had the most space. He managed to catch up pretty easily, jumping over one of the plastic, blown up chests so he could reach forward and yank Harry's trunks down, groups of people immediately shrieking at the clear sight of the taller lad's cock and arse, which he quickly covered with his hands.

Zayn couldn't deny that he was laughing as he shoved his way past the suddenly flustered lad, so close to the finish he could stop himself from smirking. That was until he was grabbed around the waist, lifted and spun so he landed on the soapy floor with a faceful of suds, Harry treading along his back. He grunted, quickly twisting around, and pushing himself back to his feet, foot catching on one of the obstacles, thankfully giving him the needed boost to reach forward and wrap his arms around Harry's shoulders, pushing his weight forward until they were both falling forward, Harry laughing loudly. He steadied himself on the side of the wall, awkwardly climbing over the other lad's body to sprint to the end of the course. That was until his ankle was grabbed and he was yanked back, falling straight on his side, ribs aching from laughing. When Harry tried to run by, he wrapped his arms around his legs, slowing him enough to get up on his own feet. Then it literally just a dart to the finish line, barging each other, toe to toe.

He would have won, too, if Harry didn't have a natural advantage of longer legs, stretching his stride out a little further to touch the floor first, which probably didn't help with his own shove, arm wrapping around his waist, his speed probably pushing him forward.

Needless to say, they both landed on the mat ungracefully, his body sliding over Harry's back, slipping due to the soap, Harry's arm instinctively reaching out to wrap his hand around his waist, causing them both to hit the floor with a thud and pained laughs.

Zayn grunted, rolling onto his side, still half on top of Harry with the lad's leg stretched over his shoulder, face first into the grass. He laughed hard, one hand slapping over his stomach, trying to catch his breath as he pushed himself up, clapping his hand along Harry's back, before fixing the back of his trunks, which was crooked, showing half of his pale arse.

“You good, mate?” He asked, pushing himself to his feet while Harry laughed, turning to sit up, wet grass stuck to the side of his face, only prompting Zayn to laugh harder. He reached his hand down, squeezing firmly as he hauled Harry up to his feet, clapping him on the back, before reaching up to wipe at his face, laughter dropping to a chuckle, the cheering dropping to the odd yell and clap as Louis strode over, Niall by his side, arms folded over his chest.

“It was a tough call,” Louis started, moving to stand in between the pair of them, and Zayn definitely didn't miss the way Louis' hand slid over his arse, before grabbing his wrist, other grabbing Harry's. “But, it's gonna have to be Styles!” He called, raising Harry's arm up in a sign of victory, causing the taller lad to yell in triumph, pulling away to jump up and down, raising the other arm and balling his hands into fists.

The crowd cheered once again, while he shook his head in defeat, other hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, dropping to his side with a slap.

“Means _you're_ getting dunked, Malik,” Louis said, lowering his arm, but not letting go of him, not until he pulled away, straightening out the back of his shirt, giving a curt nod.

“Let's get this over with,” he grunted, crowd cheering again as he started towards the tank, pushing his fingers through his hair. Once he reached the tank, he looked up at the – to him – intimidatingly high seat, reaching behind himself to pull his shirt over his head, chucking it towards Niall who was now standing close to the tank. He gave the blonde a look, frown on his face, receiving a smirk before he climbed up onto the small ladder, before swinging his leg over so he was sitting down on the damp, wooden platform. He released a shaky breath as he looked down at the deep body of water, shaking his head, fingers clenching around the seat.

“Zayn,” Liam called, suddenly next to him, balancing on the ladder, a worried looking frown on his face. “You don't have to do this, just say you don't want to and it'll be fine,” he mumbled low. But apparently not low enough to not be heard by Louis.

“Of course he has to do it, mate. He lost, it was the deal. Now get the fuck down,” he ordered.

Liam didn't move, still staring at him, giving him a look, waiting for him to respond.

Zayn forced a smile, giving a nod, swallowing thickly as he smoothed his suddenly sweaty palms down the front of his trunks. “He's right. Don't worry, i'll be fine,” he assured, giving the younger lad a wink, not having the courage to reach across and smack Liam on the shoulder like he wanted to, fingers curled tightly around his knees, forcing his eyes up.

Liam hesitated for a moment, leaning in closer so he was definitely the only one who could hear. “I'll pull you out if you struggle, alright?” He whispered, hand on the back of his neck, giving a firm squeeze.

_Thank fuck for Liam Payne._

He nodded, wetting his lips before giving a softer, more genuine smile to his best friend before he climbed down, moving to stand with the rest of the crowd.

Harry held three balls in one hand, smirking up at him as he stepped up to the makeshit line, clearly made out of duct tape, tossing one into his right hand, wagging his eyebrows again in the most stupid way possible. “Ready?” He asked.

Zayn gave a nod, not trusting his voice, forcing his eyes to stay up rather than look below him. His eyes darted between the faces gathered and he forced himself not to show any weakness, too stubborn to even _think_ of looking for comfort in anyone.

_Don't be a pussy, it's not that deep._

He gave a nervous look down, suddenly feeling like he was falling, like you would when you look back behind you on a high escalator. He leant back quickly, teeth clenched so tight his jaw ached with the power, feeling his teeth grind together as he watched Harry pull his arm back. He quickly shut his eyes, body tensing up on itself, waiting for the horrible feeling in his stomach as it rocketed up to his throat, but instead, he was met with the sound of the ball hitting the plastic behind the target.

When he heard an ' _ooh_ ' from the crowd, he opened one eye, looking at the frustrated looking Harry already reeling back to throw his second ball, arm wound back. He shut his eye again, blunt nails digging into his knees. Once again, he was met with the thud of a ball against plastic, sounding a little harder; more power behind it than the first.

This was more nerve wrecking than anything, having to wait to fall, rather than get it out of the way in a couple of seconds. It was like getting your ears pierced with a needle, having to feel every painful second of it, where with a gun, it's over in a matter of seconds. It wasn't agonisingly painful.

_Like this._

He opened the other eye to watch Harry miss the third ball, chest deflating, hands rubbing over the fabric of his trunks once again, toes curling and uncurling where they hung suspended above the water. It was a big drop, feet not even touching the surface. Hopefully that meant the fall would give him enough momentum to push himself up.

“ _Jesus fucking Christ_ , Harry,” Louis grunted, shoving him. “You're fucking useless.”

Zayn released a deep breath, meeting a pair of eyes intently focused on him, apparently. He swallowed, staring back down at Niall who had his two fingers resting over his lips, tapping under his nose with his index.

“I'll give it a go,” the blonde offered, leaning down to grab a few balls from the bucket, shoving Harry out of the way as he stood up to the line, cracking his knuckles on his hip.

Once again, he found himself wiping his hands on his trunks, stomach clenching painfully, calves aching with cramp.

“Don't like heights, Zayn?” Louis asked, arms folded over his chest with his eyebrows raised, that stupid smirk fixed into place.

He nodded, fingers digging into his knees. “Something like--”

_Shit._

Before he even finished his sentence, his body was suddenly dropping, heart and stomach shooting up to his throat, just about managing to close his mouth and eyes before he hit the surface of the water, cold immediately closing around him. He felt the panic begin to set in his chest, pulling tight like a slowly closing fist around his lungs. But, then his feet were touching the bottom, and he used all of his strength to push his body back up, bubbles curling around him, forcing himself not to breathe.

_You breathe, you choke. You choke in water, you panic. You panic in water, you drown._

It felt like a lifetime before he reached the top, met with the sounds of cheers once again, hair sticking to his forehead, too short to reach his eyes now, thankfully. God knows he'd fucking panic. He blinked his eyes open, reaching up to grab the lip of the tank, pulling himself up until he was sitting on the top. He shook, instantly reaching out for Liam who was waiting for him, hands gripping his waist and helping him off. He coughed, clearing his throat, thankful when his feet touched solid ground.

“You good?” Liam asked in his ear, arm wrapped around the back of his waist.

Zayn nodded, giving a shaky smile, pushing his fingers through his hair to slick it back. “I'm good,” he assured, giving Liam a pat on the chest. “Cheers.”

The younger lad nodded, giving him a squeeze to the shoulder. “I'll go grab you a towel, alright? And a better beer.”

Zayn laughed, rubbing the side of his arm, watching as Liam headed off, suddenly feeling slightly tense without him.

Harry was suddenly stepping in front of him, a frown on his face. “That wasn't fair, the deal was that _I_ got to dunk you.”

“In all fairness, mate, I got dunked either way while you didn't. Think that's reward enough, yeah?” He asked, reaching out to give Harry's arm a slap.

Apparently this still didn't appease Harry, who had his eyes closed, shaking his head like an adamant child who was determined to have it their way.

He opened his mouth to tell Harry that it was over, but before he even had the chance, his breath was being knocked out of him, suddenly hoisted up onto Harry's shoulder, watching the floor blur beneath him.

It doomed on him immediately what Harry was gonna do, and he barely had the chance to even open his mouth to tell him to put him the fuck down before he was being launched backwards into the pool, back slapping against the surface painfully, completely submerged in a matter of seconds. He hadn't nearly been as prepared this time, mouth and eyes open, sucking in a mouthful of water, eyes not used to the sudden haze covering over them. He kicked his legs and arms out, trying to touch the floor. But thanks to the way he'd been chucked in – back first – he couldn't get the momentum to push himself up. It was like the slow closing fist once again, except it wasn't easing up, it was getting tighter and his lungs were beginning to burn.

_Should have just learnt how to swim, should have maned up._

He didn't know how long had passed, legs and arms kicking rapidly under water, joints and muscles beginning to ache from the burn, fingers clutching at nothing but water. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but yell for Liam, again and again until his nostrils and chest burned.

When an arm wrapped around his waist, he immediately clung to it, eyes beginning to grow heavy, feeling the bubbles once again swirl around him. When they broke the surface, he immediately enveloped himself around the person pulling him to the edge, coughing roughly as he did so, taking a greedy mouthful of air, burning his lungs as he did so. He was also subconsciously aware that there was no cheering this time, but he couldn't really tell if there was noise, his ears filled with water.

Zayn finally blinked his eyes open, sore and blurred as he tried to focus on his surroundings as he tried to catch his breath, struggling to the point that it felt like he was still drowning. When he was pushed up onto the ledge, he leant his head forward, thankful for the hand on his back, patting hard, water coming up from his lungs and spluttering from his mouth and nose, until finally he could breathe again. He sat their limply for a moment, body aching with every tremble going through his body, teeth chattering almost painfully quick.

  
“Zayn!” Liam suddenly called, pulling his attention away from the rattling of his teeth. He watched as his best friend ran over, suddenly down by his side, kneeling with a look of concern etched over his face.

He frowned, having just assumed that Liam was the one that pulled him out. He turned, the sound of another body lifting itself from the water bringing his attention away.

Niall sat down on the edge of the pool next to him, pushing his hand through his soaking hair, looking at him with his own look of concern.

_Niall pulled him out._

“Zayn, I am so fucking sorry.” Harry's voice suddenly broke through, ears popping as water trickled out and down the side of his jaw. “I-I honestly had no fucking idea you couldn't--” He struggled to get the words out, like it was some type of illness.

“--Swim. I can't swim, _what-the-fuck-ever_ , who gives a shit.” He sniffed, taking the towel wrapped around his shoulders, pinching his nose between his thumb and index finger before letting out a shaky breath. “It's not your fault, you didn't know.” His voice sounded rough and hoarse, and it hurt like a bitch to speak, throat raw.

Zayn looked towards Niall, still sat beside him, eyeing him carefully. He swallowed thickly, before nodding stiffly. “Thanks,” he mumbled, jaw clenching.

The blonde gave his own nod, before giving a slight shrug. “Don't worry about it. You alrigh'?” He asked, eyebrows pulled together.

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just--” He looked around, noticing the muttering crowd around them, frown immediately forming on his face. “--Just fucking wish people wouldn't act like what just happened was a _circus_ act. Shows over,” he grunted, before pushing himself up onto his feet, forcing himself to regain composure, taking the towel and scrubbing the back of his head, before chucking the towel at Louis who stood up from behind him, having obviously been the one to thump his back for him. “Need'ta piss.”

He pushed past everyone, giving Liam a reassuring smile, heading through to the house and up the stairs, knowing too well that there was a bathroom downstairs, but that wouldn't do right now. He gave a nod to George as he stepped out, glad upstairs wasn't busy as he stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

As soon as it was locked, he felt his stupid eyes prick with stupid tears and his hands visibly shook around the lock. His shoulders shook with his impending sobs, leaning his forehead against the door, raising his hand to muffle the first whine leaving his throat, palm clamped over his mouth, eyes squeezed shut. He gasped, anxiety washing through him as he stumbled back a few steps, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bath tub, slowly rocking forward so his head was hanging between his legs, other hand gripping the edge of the bath. The fist around his lungs refused to unclench, a painful lump forming in his throat.

His body ached and his eye stung, suppressing a broken groan into his hand, eyes squeezing so hard he could see spots behind his lids, nails digging into the side of his cheek. His chest grew even tighter and his sobs grew louder, reaching up to clamp his other hand over the first, because he would _not_ let anyone hear him cry.

When the pain in his chest slowly began to ease back, began to retract and melt, he removed one hand at a time, until his shaking fingers were holding onto each knee, trying to take deep, long breaths; in through the nose and out through the mouth. After the last breath, his straightened his back, releasing a longer one before pushing himself up, knees shaking a little as he did so. He walked carefully to the sink, leaning his weight on either side of it, gauging his face. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were streaked and flushed, crescent shapes along his cheek from the hold from his blunt nails. He dropped his eyes, standing straight to turn on the faucet, rinsing his face with cold water, before grabbing a towel and rubbing his face. He could pass it off as just having his eyes open under water if anyone questioned it.

With a huff, he slapped his cheeks, forcing himself to stop being a prissy little bitch. He chucked the towel down on the side before giving himself a once over and heading out of the bathroom, unlocking it and stepping out, running his fingers through his hair once more.

Zayn stopped abruptly when he spotted the body leaning against the wall outside, stomach suddenly clenching, wondering if he'd heard him crying, although he'd tried extremely hard not to make a noise.

He stood straight, pushing himself up from the wall, hands shoved into his pockets. He had a line between his eyebrows, as if he'd been concentrating, and Zayn wondered how long he'd been standing outside waiting for him.

“Hey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just basically to show the various relationships evolving more. Hope you enjoy.

Zayn licked over his damp lips, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trunks, shifting his foot against the carpet. "Hey," he returned, forcing a small smile on his lips. "What's up?" He asked, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible, despite the nerves creeping up along his throat again, pain settling heavy in his stomach like a lump; like something he couldn't swallow, just laying in his stomach.

Niall eyed him, clearly seeing straight past the wall he'd built up, looking through it like it was a piece of thin glass, not thick cement like he'd created it to be. "Mind if I talk to ya?"

He swallowed thickly, jaw flexing as his teeth clenched, feeling the muscle below his temple give a flutter of tension. "Sure."

The blonde shuffled his own feet, the ball of his foot hitting the damp carpet, head cocking towards his bedroom. 

Zayn nodded, his heart racing as he stepped towards Niall's room, door opened a few inches. He walked into the dark room, taking a few hesitant steps in, eyes squeezing shut at the sound of the door clicking closed. He turned to look at the lad, watching as he sat down on the edge of his bed, giving another incline of his head. He slowly took the spot next to him, leaving space between them.

This was nerve wrecking, being this close to Niall after everything that happened. Being  _alone_ with Niall, in his room once again. 

"What happened out there?" Niall spoke, breaking the tension filled silence between them.

He exhaled shakily, clasping his hands together, forcing a shrug out of his shoulders. "I think it's obvious what happened out there, blondie," he returned quietly, not failing to miss the small quirk of Niall's lips. "What?"

Niall shook his head, forcing the frown back onto his face. "You should 'ave said somethin'."

He couldn't help but scoff, dropping his eyes to his knees, still damp. "Didn't know Harry was gonna chuck me in the pool."

"Before tha'. With the dunk tank. You should have just said flat out that ya didn't wanna do it, Zayn."

Zayn forced another shrug, pursing his lips together. "Suppose."

The blonde sighed, rubbing his hands over his knees. "Listen, before break--"

"What about it?" He immediately cut in, raising his eyes to lock onto Niall again, giving him a challenging look. Well, the best he could muster up.

"I don't like how things ended between us, like."

He raised his eyebrow, feeling that tension grow in his chest, pushing him over the invisible edge. "There was no 'us', remember?"

Niall clenched his teeth, hearing the sharp grind of them rubbing together. "Tha's not the point I'm trying to make here. The point I'm tryin' to make is that, I like ya. You know I do, and I don't really wanna lose ya."

Zayn felt that stupid flutter to his heart, the incorrect beat that didn't match formation, that had his skin burning under the thin layer of water and thick layer of anxiety. "What are you trying to say?" He asked, voice probably just above a whisper.

"I'm tryin' to say that, if you'll allow it... I wanna be your friend."

Oh.  _Oh._

"Oh."

Niall closed his eyes, taking his turn to lace his fingers together, joined hands hanging between his legs. "If ya don't wanna, tha's fine--"

"Sure," he agreed, tucking his hands under his thighs, feeling a swell of something erupt in his stomach, not pleasant, though. "Yeah, I'd like that."

And, he would. He'd like to be Niall's friend. It would save him from feeling all this awkward, uncomfortable tension anytime they saw each other. It would certainly make his life a little easier over the next couple of weeks while doing this stupid fucking column. 

Niall turned to look at him, eyebrows raising in shock, or surprise. "Yeah?" 

Zayn licked his lips, giving him a  _genuine_  smile. "Yeah, man. Don't see why not."

The lad laughed, giving a dopey nod of his head. "Sweet, sweet. I'm glad. You're a... Pretty mint guy, y'know?"

He gave his own small laugh, dropping his gaze to the bed before nodding. "Yeah, you're not too bad yourself."

Niall gave him a smirk, before standing, holding out his arms. "Hug?" He rolled his eyes, before standing, shuffling into the space and wrapping his arms around the blonde, giving him a couple of claps on the back. "We can still fuck, right?" Niall said into his ear, smirk curling around his earlobe. 

He laughed low in his throat as they pulled back. "Not a chance."

 

Zayn looked up from his spot on the floor as Liam nudged a cold beer to his shoulder, before dropping down on the arm chair behind him with a sigh. He took the beer with a nod, twisting off the lid before setting it down on the floor beside him. 

"Think tonight went well," George muttered, stretching out along the arm chair on one side of the room.

Louis nodded, taking a long sip of his own beer, before lifting the bottle up. "Gotta thank Horan for this one, lads," he announced, receiving a low cheer from the group formed around the living room. "To Niall."

"To Niall," everyone voiced at the same time, making the blonde give a gracious nod as he took a bite from a leftover piece of pizza, his eyes moving over to Zayn.

He raised his bottle to the lad a little, before taking his own sip, leaning his head back against the arm rest. 

"Knackered," Liam said through a yawn, arm draping over his mouth to muffle it. 

Zayn was  _definitely_ knackered. Knackered to the point of barely being able to hold his eyes open. After his little 'reconciliation' with Niall, the pair had joined the party again through to the early hours of the morning. He'd gone on the course again, going against Liam and a few of the potential pledges. He'd even gone in the pool again, up on Harry's shoulders the entire time, but it was better than nothing. There had been a barbecue, and a constant string of games that mixed in getting to know the Brothers and the history of the house. All in all, it actually wasn't that bad. It was still fun, but an educational party.  _Kappa Delta Phi_ definitely gave the other fraternities a run for their money. Someone had actually been kind enough to take pictures for him on his camera, including him racing Harry and getting dunked. 

_Thankfully not the pool incident._

"Got another four days of this," Harry chimed in from his spot on the couch, long legs taking up the entire space. 

Fucking A. He didn't know if he could handle five straight days of this. Especially not without a hard drink at least. But, like Liam had said, it would be different each night.

"I'm turning in," Max grunted as he stood, followed by muffled agreements, a group of them heading up the stairs to their respected bedrooms. 

Zayn looked to his watch, staring through lazy eyes at the time. "Shit, yeah, I better make a move," he said through a strained groan as he pushed himself up to his feet.

"Zayn, just crash here for the night," Liam offered through another jaw cracking yawn.

He shook his head, taking a few steps towards the stairs. "Nah, it's alright."

"Just stay," Louis stated, not leaving it open for discussion, giving him a pointed look, a mumble of agreement from the rest of the room.

He shrugged his shoulder, leaning against the door frame.  "You can crash with me," Liam volunteered, peeking at him from under his arm.

He immediately shook his head, "As much as I love your company, I'm not sleeping on that floor again. I'll just crash on the couch."

Liam nodded, before hauling himself up to his feet, offering his hand out to him as he stepped closer. He clasped it firmly, giving the younger lad a wink before he was heading upstairs, calling back a lazy "goodnight".

One by one, the group dispersed, Niall giving him an actual smile as he went, leaving just him and Harry in the living room. He dropped himself down on one of the empty couches, groaning as his back hit the cool leather, beer still in hand. He took a long sip, tucking one arm behind his head.

"You can crash in my bed, if you'd like," Harry offered, rolling his head to look at him, own beer resting on his stomach.

Zayn chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a sweet lad." He took another sip. "The couch'll do me just fine."

Harry continued to stare at him, foot twitching slightly. "Want me to leave so you can get some sleep?"

"Not if you don't want to. I don't think I'm ready to crash just yet. Still feeling a little anxious, y'know?"

The lad shook his head, a quite sigh falling past his lips. "Zayn, I'm really sorry about that. I would have  _never_ \--"

"You'd never have if you'd know, mate. It's fine," he assured through a soft laugh. "I'm not angry, don't worry. Like I said, you didn't know." He looked over to Harry, watching him nod to his beer bottle, before taking another sip, seeing the furrow between his eyebrows. "You do kinda deserve a hit, though."

Harry looked to him, eyebrows raised, looking almost relieved. "Yeah?"

Zayn smirked, pushing himself to sit up, setting his beer down by his feet. "Get up." He barely finished the sentence before Harry was up on his feet, striding across to him, standing in the middle of the living room. He raised his eyebrow at the taller lad, before laughing again. "Ready?"

Harry nodded, squaring off his jaw and shoulders, beer bottle hanging in one hand. 

Zayn shook out his right hand, before clenching it into a fist, pulling his arm back slightly before pushing it forward and connecting it with the top of Harry's arm in a medium punch.

The lad's shoulder pushed back slightly, a grunt passing his lips. "Fuck," he said through a laugh, nudging his beer bottle against the red mark forming on his bicep. "Hate to be on the receiving end of that to the face."

He could only smile, before straightening out his own shoulders, wagging his eyebrows. "Boxing," he said simply. "C'mon, your turn."

Harry raised his eyebrow, setting his beer down beside Zayn's. "You box?"

Zayn took his turn to raise both of his eyebrows. "What, just because I'm gay means I can't box?"

The taller lad laughed, raising both hands. "Something like that." 

Zayn sucked in a breath through his teeth, shaking his head. "Better make this one count, because the next one I give you will hurt." Harry smirked, pulling back his fist before giving a hard punch to his arm, his own shoulder snapping back with the force. He nodded his head as he stood straight again, rolling his shoulder back slightly. "Nice, throw your weight into it next time, though. Like this." Without warning, he pulled his arm back and punched harder against Harry's arm, making the lad stumble back slightly. 

"Shit," Harry breathed, giving Zayn a once over. "Well, I'll be damned. I'm getting schooled by a guy who sucks dick."

"You definitely are."

Harry licked his lips, straightening himself out again after rubbing his arm a few times. "This is kinda how Fight Club started."

He laughed, "All time favourite movie."

"Likewise. But I'm sure it's only yours because of the guys getting their kit off and fighting," Harry said through a smirk, positioning his arms above his face again. 

He raised his eyebrows, effectively ducking away when Harry threw the next punch, receiving a look of shock in return, before he was giving the taller lad a punch to the ribs. "Sure about that?"

Harry coughed slightly, straightening himself out again. "I stand by what I said. You're too pretty to fight, princess."

"That's rich coming from you, dimples. At least I _can_ fight. I've saved your ass from getting kicked  _twice_ now. I'll have no problem handing yours to you."

Harry smirked, faking a left hit and going for a right, hitting Zayn square in the stomach. Needless to say, he was a little winded, but impressed, nevertheless. "Feel free to tell me if I'm too rough on you."

Zayn scoffed, straightening up his posture before giving a lazy smirk. "I promise." He pushed himself forward, before swinging his leg around and knocking Harry's feet out from under him, listening to the satisfying groan and thump he gave as he hit the floor. He stared down at him, giving him a grin. "Whoops?"

Harry grunted, pushing himself up easily, going from looking up, to down at him, getting completely in his space, eyebrows pulled together. "I feel bad for hitting a girl."

"I'd feel worse considering you're losing to a girl."


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a little stuck, it's all good.

After what seemed like mere minutes, he and Harry were on the couch, new beers in hand, staring at the TV. They kept it friendly, all above the waist and below the neck.

_"Apart from that leg swipe, mate."_

Yeah, apart from that leg swipe. 

"So, what's going on with you and Niall?" Harry asked after a few minutes of simply watching Sky Sports. They both liked the cricket, surprisingly. 

He shrugged, taking a long drink of his beer. "Recently friends," he said through a roll of his eyes, which immediately surprised him, hoping that Harry hadn't seen that. But, the tone of his voice must have given it away.

"You're not best pleased with that, then, I take it."

"I dunno, I mean, like, I  _am_. I'm glad that we can be friends and all--"

_"But."_

Zayn laughed, eyes falling shut for a moment as he turned to glance at Harry who's gaze was steadily on the TV. " _But_ , I maybe don't wanna be friends."

Harry's gaze flickered to him then, looking calm and understanding. "Like, boyfriend?"

He immediately shook his head, because  _no_ , that's not what he wanted at all. "It's a weird one, mate. I don't wanna be  _with_ him, but-- Shit, it's hard."

The taller lad nodded, reaching over to pat at his knee. "Don't worry about it." He felt himself instantly relax at that, because that's all he had been doing. He'd been worrying about it, and trying to label how he felt. Try as he might, he couldn't. He didn't want to be in a relationship with Niall, but he didn't want to be just his friend either. "What about Louis?"

"You think if I know anything about Niall, I'll know something about Louis?" He scoffed, taking another sip. "I don't even know where I stand with him."

Harry hummed in response. "Really did surprise us when he took you to the formal."

"Surprised me, too," he agreed, scratching at his neck. "I don't know, man," he said with a shake of his head, before looking down to his watch. "You should go to bed. I'm sure tomorrow's gonna be busy for you, yeah? You should get some rest."

The lad grunted, but nodded, draining the rest of his beer, before setting it down on the floor. "You're right." He stood, wiping his hands along his thighs. "Night, Zayn."

"Night, bro," he returned, slapping Harry's offered hand, before watching him walk out of the living room sluggishly, heading up the stairs,  _three_ steps at a time.

_And then there was one._

He sighed, dropping his head back, staring up at the ceiling, the bottle resting on his thigh, fingers curled around the glass. This was a giant cluster fuck and he couldn't be dealing with it. He had his own problems aside from stupid dudes who he may or may not like. With that, he finished his own beer, setting the empty bottle down and laying across the couch, stomach pressing to the leather, face pressed against one of the cushions. He left the TV on for background noise, his eyes soon falling shut on their own accord, his body growling lax in a matter of minutes.

 

He was woke up the next morning by a blaring, white noise right in his ear, eyes snapping open, heart pounding in his chest as he scrambled up to his feet, legs caught around the blanket draped along the back of his heel. 

"What the fuck," he breathed as he stood, stumbling over the arm of the chair in panic, blinking around him in shock, blurry eyes settling on a smirking Louis, holding one of the ridiculous air horns in his hand. He could hear vague laughing from another room, but it was dulled by the ringing in his right ear and his heartbeat in the other. "You fucking arsehole," he growled, stretching his arm out to punch the lad in his arm, other hand clutching at his chest.

"Good morning to you, too," Louis mumbled through a laugh, not letting it go unnoticed that his eyes were clearly dragging along his body.

He just scoffed, rolling his eyes as he shoved Louis back roughly. "Creep," he grunted, treading into the kitchen, still partially deaf by the fucking  _noise_ in his ear. 

"If it's worth anything, I told him not to do it," Liam said, sliding him a cup of coffee across the counter as he dropped down in one of the bar stools.

"And if it's worth anythin', I told him tha' he definitely had to do it." 

He didn't even bother looking over to Niall, just shaking his head in annoyance as he took a sip of his coffee. "It's worth nothing."

"You drank a bit last night after we went to bed," Liam spoke up after Niall had stopped laughing like a twat.

Zayn hummed, setting his mug down. "Harry and I stayed up for a bit, shared a couple beers."

"Explains the bruises."

"That it does," he agreed, knowing Liam got it.

Niall, on the other hand, didn't seem to. "Bruises?"

For the first time that morning, he allowed himself to look to the blonde, eyes settling on the furrowed brow, instantly smoothing out when he looked, apparently trying to hide his clear distaste.

_Who the fuck was he to care?_

"Mm, bruises."

Niall gave a nod of his head, giving him what looked like a forced-easy grin, eyes turning back to look at the side of Liam's face then back to him, clearly waiting for him to look away.

It was  _his_ turn to smirk, taking another sip of his coffee. 

_This is your fault, blondie. And it's your fault I'm choosing not to correct you._

It wasn't long before Harry was trudging into the kitchen, and if it couldn't be anymore perfect, he stood behind his chair, and leaned his chin against the top of his head. The lad grunted and Zayn - being the nice guy that he is - offered him his mug with a yawn. "Mornin', princess."

He grunted, giving a jab of his elbow back into Harry's stomach, receiving a small groan. "How you feeling?" He asked once the cup was back in front of him and Harry make a noise of distaste at drinking black coffee.

Harry moved to occupy the seat next to him, grin on his face as he tilted his head back to show the blooming bruise along his jaw, spreading up to his ear and down towards his shoulder.  "Nice, right?"

He chuckled, giving a slow, appreciative nod. "It's mint."

"What about you? Got any good bruises?"

Zayn dropped his eyes to his hands, knuckles a bit banged up, but it was the one on his chest that caught his eye, a dark bruise forming along his collarbone that he hadn't even noticed. "This one," he said, straightening up a bit to show him the one he was talking about.

"How the fuck did you manage that?" Niall asked, voice raised a little louder than it previously had been.

Harry smirked, nudging his thigh with his knee. "Found out last night that our little Zayn here likes to box."

He shrugged a shoulder, feeling the slight ache in collarbone as he did so. "Not a big deal."

"Suppose you know that he's got a mean right hook, then," Liam piped in, eyebrows raising towards Harry.

"Right? But I got  _this_ bruise from his left." Harry said, gesturing to his jaw.

"Tha's pretty cool."

Zayn's eyes flicked over to Niall who was craning his head slightly to look at the bruise along Harry's skin, before his eyes met his own. "Didn't know tha'."

He shrugged again, finishing his coffee. "Like I said, not a big deal." He stood up, giving the back of Harry's neck a squeeze. "I'm off."

Liam set his own mug down, moving around the table as the other brothers started waking up, helping themselves to the coffee and the food in the fridge. "Let's go grab your things." He gestured for him to follow before heading upstairs.

He nodded, looking down at Harry who was reaching over for Liam's coffee now, stopping when Zayn offered a clenched fist out. The taller lad actually looked a little taken back at first, before he was giving that ridiculously lopsided smile and bumped his knuckles back.

"I'll see you later, mate."

He nodded, eyes flicking over to Niall once he stepped away from the table, his eyebrows knitted together again. He gave him a small nod before following after Liam, shaking his head and exhaling harshly once he was away from the kitchen.

 

By Friday, he was honestly ready to pack up and just collapse, sleep for an entire week. He's never worked so hard on one article, but he could feel it was good. It had personal touches that his other pieces always seemed to lack, always seemed to miss. 

He took a moment to run through the week, reading it through on his battered notepad beside his laptop.

Monday had been the introduction night. The night of the fucking swimming pool.

Tuesday was the night of pizza. Literally, just pizza. The pledges and brothers all just sat down, shared some drinks and pizza. It was probably the calmest night, less action and more talking. Sometimes that was best.

Wednesday had consisted of a fucking  _toga_ party. Which, he was still in shock about. He'd cracked up when Niall had answered the door with a bed sheet half tied up to his shoulder, but it hadn't been so funny when Liam had forced him to wear one too.

_"Liam, I'm not here for this shit. I'm here to write an article."_

_"Stop your whining and hold this or I'm gonna mess up and we'll have to start again."_

It was honestly awful, especially when the fucking foam had been let out, covering the garden and most of the kitchen floor with the slimy shit that he could still smell if he thought about it too much. There had only been one minor accident of a guy swallowing a ton of it and had to get taken to the campus nurse. 

Louis had pulled him aside and told him specifically  _not_ to add that in the article before taking a grab at his ass.

Thursday they actually  _had_ gone bowling, funnily enough. They'd actually rented out more than half of the allies, and he had to remind himself that  _Niall_ had probably been the one to do that. It'd brought a flush up the back of his neck which he quickly had to push back, telling himself to stop being such an asshat.

The games had gone pretty well. The teams were evenly distributed, brothers mixed in with pledges. He had to admit that  _Kappa Delta Phi_ weren't  _all_ self righteous pricks, they actually did care about how they came across to the pledges and worked hard to make sure they all had a good time.

The most eventful night had been tonight, by far. They had to take part in a scavenger hunt which the brothers seemed to take great amusement in. Louis had  _insisted_ that he take part.

_"For the experience, Zayn."_

Yeah, go fuck yourself.

He'd tried to explain a thousand times to a thousand different brothers that he was  _not_ here as a pledge. He was here as a guy trying to remain an editor and keep his paper up and running. But, no. Apparently that's not enough. 

So he'd gone along with it, just because if he didn't, he was told he'd have to sit out of this one, and it'd look a little strange if he had one day unaccounted for. It was a form of blackmail and he knew it had been the plan all along, to get him to participate in everything. Even Liam said he'd have to make the effort.

Each group had consisted of about six people, all accompanied by one brother to make sure there was no cheating or trading of clues. It definitely wasn't a coincidence that they had Niall. But, it was a little different from their usual encounters. Niall seemed to be the one who was a little one edge, the one biting at his nails and chewing on the skin of his lips. 

_"So this whole friendship thing."_

_His eyebrow raised, "What about it?"_

_Niall shrugged slightly, still chewing at his fingers as they followed the group around looking for the next clue, which he'd already figured out had to be back at the house. It was a pretty simple clue, just written in the Greek alphabet, which he'd taken a glance over every now and then. "We aven't really made it official."_

_"How do we make a friendship official?"_

_"Go for a drink?"_

_He nodded, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "That doesn't sound too bad." He looked to Niall, glad to see he'd dropped his fingers, honestly a little worried that he'd chew them right off._

_"Good, the fraternity is goin' to the pub tomorrow night. Like a... Kind of celebratory drink. Tough shit havin' to plan this week," the blonde chuckled, ruffling the back of his head._

_Zayn scratched at his chin slowly, fingers scraping along his scruff. "Never would have guessed that you're the treasurer."_

_"No one would."_

_"That's pretty cool," he said honestly, staring at the side of Niall's face._

_That seemed to grab Niall's attention, turning his head to meet his eyes. "You think?"_

_Zayn chuckled, giving a nod. "Yeah, it took me by surprise. But it's pretty sweet."_

And, honestly, he was still in shock that he actually got a  _smile_. He got a fucking smile. Not a smirk or a cocky grin, he got a genuine smile which stupidly had him clenching his fists on the table just thinking about it.

His group lost in the end and they clearly blamed him for it. Whatever, he'd take the blame if it made them feel a little less pathetic.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

Zayn was just finishing up his article, proof reading it for what felt like the umpteenth time. It had to be perfect, it was what would secure his position as editor and hopefully gave the magazine the attention it needed. It was all riding on him, really. He didn't feel the pressure too much, though. He was confident this would go down well, considering an article had never been done about Greek life in their magazine before, as far as he could tell. He'd done his research, he didn't just dive in blindly, he needed to know if any other form of column had been written out. It hadn't luckily enough, but he definitely did fine various articles online about the reputations of certain houses,  _Kappa Delta Phi_ being mentioned on more than one occasion. 

He definitely found out some interesting facts that he'd not known about before and when he'd asked some questions about it to random students on campus to get feedback, he was surprised that he  _didn't_ know, because it seemed like everyone knew. There was a lot of competition between the fraternities and sororities, but mostly between two fraternities in particular. The _Kappa Delta Phi's_ and the _Beta Chi Theta's_. Apparently the rivalry between both fraternities had gone on for years, and there was even various pictures of 'interactions' they've had over the years. One picture that caught his eye was the most recent one, showing a brawl set a couple of months ago. Closer inspection showed a few familiar faces, including a Niall and Louis, both fighting with the Beta Theta's. He wondered if Liam had been involved in that somewhere.

His eyes turned towards his door at the sound of rustling, spotting the white envelope slipping under his door. He grit his teeth, head tilting to the side in annoyance before heaving a sigh and standing, slowly walking over to the door. He heard fleeting footsteps and didn't bother opening the door, picking up the formal looking envelope.

_If this was another fucking party._

He opened the small envelope, the letters  _ΚΔΦ_  printed on the front of the card. He raised his eyebrow as he flipped it open before his face went hard, reading over the formal writing, his jaw clenching so hard that he could hear his teeth grinding.

 

_We, the Brothers of_

_Kappa Delta Phi Fraternity_

_cordially extend to_

_Zayn Malik_

_an invitation to join our brotherhood_

Signed with both Louis'  _and_ Liam's names as President and Vice President of Membership. He glared down at the card, printed in black calligraphy, his name hand written in ink. He felt his fingers shake in anger as he stood there, eyes hoping to burn a hole through the  _invitation._

_He'd been given a fucking bid._

 

He didn't even bother knocking on the door when he arrived next afternoon when his class was done, a print out of his article for  _Louis_ like he'd promised, because he'd actually stuck to the agreement. He barged through the door, his 'bid' in the other hand, bag slung over his shoulder. 

"Liam!" He growled, staring up the stairs, hand on the banister. "I know you're fucking up there, your class doesn't start until four. Get down here now before I come up there and kick your arse."

"Whoa, what's all the threatening for?" A chilled voice came from beside him, his eyes snapping over to the kitchen, Louis standing there looking as casual as ever, eyebrows raised as he drank from a plastic cup. "We're a very civilized house, Zayn. I would ask you to keep that language out of the house--"

"Shut the fuck up," he growled, slowly walking over to him, holding out both the article and bid. "What is this shit?"

Louis raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's no way to talk about your article. I'm sure you worked very hard on it."

"Louis."

Louis smirked, taking the card and holding it up between two fingers. "This is a bid, it means--"

"I know what it means. I just don't know why  _I_ have one. I wasn't rushing."

"Were you not? I mean... You were here all week, didn't even bother going to another house, that's dedication."

"I wasn't  _rushing_ ," he repeated, temper wearing thin.

Louis leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, handing the bid back. "Then explain the bid."

Zayn sighed, running his hand along his jaw, roughly scratching at the scruff on his skin. "That's why I'm here. You don't honestly think I'm gonna accept this, do you? I don't want to be a part of your stupid frat, I--"

"Fraternity," Louis corrected with a point of his finger. " _Frat_ is disrespectful." He stated firmly, taking his turn to interrupt.

"Look, I'm not accepting this, so you may as well take it and fucking burn it."

Louis smirked once again, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry to hear that," he started, standing straight with a sigh. "And I'm also sorry to hear that your article won't be published."

He immediately froze, not even bothering to breathe. " _What?_ "

"Your article--"

"No, I heard you the first time. What do you  _mean_ that it won't be published."

Louis shrugged, resting his hand over his own bicep. "Well, it needs my consent. If I don't give that, then the week that you spent here was just a waste of time."

"Are you-- Are you blackmailing me?"

"Blackmailing is such a strong word."

"But you are."

"Yes I am."

Zayn's eyes narrowed in disbelief, his heart thudding in his temples. "What makes you think that this article is that important?"

"Well, your boss explained it to me. The downfall of your precious magazine, how it was looking for scraps like a mutt. It's actually pretty surprising how three beers will spill a ton of juicy secrets. Got to love alcohol."

He heard his teeth screech again, taking a step closer. "You're a piece of shit. Will by bid be withdrawn if I beat the shit out of you?"

"Now, now, Zayn. There's no need for violence."

"Oh, I beg to differ. There is  _definitely_ need for violence right now."

Louis sighed, "The same applies, Hulk. You act violently and this goes straight to your boss."

He stared at the lad for a long moment, wondering how he ever thought that Louis might be a decent human being. He shook his head, taking a step back before turning on his heel and heading for the door, not even pausing as he shoved one of the Brothers out of the way, hearing them slam into the wall. He didn't bother looking back over his shoulder as he slammed the door shut behind him, heading for the offices, some place he wanted to avoid as much as the  _Kappa Delta Phi_ house.

 

"I'm afraid this article is vital, Zayn. If you withdraw it, we'll have no choice but to suspend you, and possibly exclude completely for wasting valuable time."

Zayn groaned, running his hands through his hair, elbows digging into his knees. "Christ, you're the one that asked me to write this fucking article, Stuart."

"And you accepted, knowing what this would do for the magazine. If you plan on becoming a journalist, you need to put your differences aside. This is a great opportunity for you, for  _us_. This could open a lot of doors for you, son. Or should I say... _Pledge._ "

He lifted his head, shooting a glare at Stuart, watching the man's proud grin drop from his face, clearing his throat.

"Right, sorry."

Zayn sighed, leaning back in his seat, dropping his head back, hand rubbing over his face. "Fine," he agreed, shaking his head at himself, staring at his laptop.

Stuart's grin returned, clapping his hands together once. "Brilliant. You'll also be pleased to know that Louis signed over all information for the article."

His body tensed again, slowly lifting his eyes from his desk back up to Stuart. "You  _knew_ about this all along, didn't you?"

Stuart smiled a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "These things need to be done, Zayn."

He officially hated everyone.

 

Zayn turned up to the house for the first time in over a week once the magazine had been printed, definitely not happy to be here once again, letting himself in like he'd been  _told_ to do, something that didn't sit right with him. He stepped into the house, which was surprisingly quiet, eyes settling on Niall who was sitting on the stairs, a beer in hand.

"You're late," he mumbled, adding on the " _pledge_ " in a very amused tone. 

"Got lost," he said back, not bothering to hide his sarcasm.

Niall sighed, standing to his feet, stepping towards him. "Come on, follow me."

Of course he paused, shoving his hands in his pockets, eyebrows raised.

"Zayn."

"Blondie."

Niall smirked, before walking ahead without him, pushing open the double doors which led to the garden, exposing a line up of students, all standing waiting for something. With a sigh, he walked forward slowly until he was out in the garden, giving Liam a hard stare when he spotted him, watching him duck his head in shame.

_Too right._

"Malik, stand in line," Louis ordered, standing in front of the other Brothers, Harry at his right, his face not its usual dopey self. All the Brothers were wearing their letters, a black shirt with the gold Greek letters of ΚΔΦ.

He paused for another moment before Niall shoved him forward with a hand on his back to which in grunted in reply to, sending him a glare over his shoulder before heading to stand in line right at the end. He noticed a few sophomore's, but mostly they were freshmen, a few in which he recognised from rush week. 

"Eyes forward," someone ordered to which he rolled his eyes to, but faced forward none the less. 

"You're all here today because you've been carefully picked to join the brotherhood. It's big responsibility and if you don't think you're up to it, you know where the door is."

He instinctively took a step forward only to be dragged back by a hand, not having even noticed that Harry had started walking up and down the line behind them. 

After a moment and a smirk from Louis, he continued. "Being a part of _Kappa Delta Phi_  is an  _honor_ and you should feel privileged to be here today. To honor you being associated with the brotherhood, you will be given a pledge pin to wear at all times, lads. And I mean  _all_ times. If we catch you without the pin, repercussions will be taken and your loyalty will be questioned."

After Louis finished, Harry started going down the line, attaching small pins to each pledge's shirt, muttering a word or two to one every now and then before moving on. When it was his turn, Harry clearly restrained a smile as he attached his pin, which he glanced down to. It wasn't anything special, just two triangles pressed base to base, one gold and one black, embellished with a gold rim.

"Welcome, pledge Hulk."

_You've got to be fucking kidding me._

He shook his head as he stared at Harry, getting a small smirk in turn before the taller lad was wiping it from his face and moving to stand back.

"May the spirit never die," he said loudly, followed by the rest of the Brothers repeating his words.

Louis stepped forward, moving to stand beside Harry. "Congratulations, boys. You're all official pledges of  _Kappa Delta Phi._ Time to celebrate."

The other pledges clearly all cheered, hugging each other, while he stood there, glaring towards Louis, who only smirked back.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all comments that I've gotten, hopefully I can boost up updates a bit quicker. Thank you for being so patient with me. Just want to clear one thing up so people don't get confused, you're not technically a part of any fraternity or sorority until you've been initiated, you're just being associated with the fraternity.

"Malik, go grab me another beer."

Zayn's jaw instantly clenched, eyes flicking up from the ground to stare at the wall as he stood up. He dropped the sponge into the bucket, fixing the back of his sweats as he turned to face Niall, sat back casually in a sun lounger in the garden, magazine covering his face. His hand squeezed around the sponge, drawing it back slightly--

"Hurry up, pledge, m'thirsty."

With a grunt, he dropped the sponge into the bucket, feet getting partially soaked as he headed towards the kitchen, ignoring the "you're cleanin' tha' up" as he walked by one of the hashers - which he'd learnt basically kitchen staff who came in, stocked the fridges and pantry, cooked the food, all that shit - and straight for the fridge. He'd made this run about three times already and if he wasn't certain that Niall really didn't care for beer, he'd think that he'd been dumping it on the grass just to ask for a new one. 

He twisted off the cap before heading back out to the garden, slipping on the soaked wooden floor slightly before he was shoving the beer into Niall's grabby hands, picking the other one up from the floor and chucking it in the rubbish bag hanging on the door. He stood there, staring down at Niall's covered face, waiting for any form of thanks as the dickhead just sunbathed. He remained quiet for a long moment before lifting his foot to put it on the top of Niall's seat, slowly adding weight until the blonde and his chair were toppling over, legs falling forward into his face with what could only be described as yelp. 

He watched him flail around for a moment, his new beer spilled all over himself, magazine strewn over his chest, sunglasses crooked as he tried to shuffle out from under the chair. It was definitely amusing to hear the other pledges laughing around the garden, stopping their own 'activities' to turn and see what all the fuss was.

Zayn didn't even bat an eyelash as he slid his hands into his pockets, watching as Niall finally stood, cheeks flushed, one side of his hair damp with beer, turning to face him with what could only be described as a snarl.

"Wha' the fuck do you tink you're doin', pledge?" Niall growled, moving to get right up in his face.

He blinked slowly, glancing around the garden as he pursed his lips. "Just standing here."

"Do you tink tha' was funny?"

"Am I laughing?"

Niall grunted, harsh lines between his eyebrows as he glared at him.

"Gotta get back to work, gotta a mess to clean up and all," he muttered with a thumb pointed over his shoulder. He turned on his heel and headed back to his bucket, a smirk instantly pulling on his lips as he started mopping up the water he'd spilled earlier. 

The one advantage of being here all the fucking time was that he  _really_ got to fuck around. 

 

Like with Harry.

He really was starting to like Harry, especially after he practically confided in him about the whole Niall and Louis mess. But now, he was just like the others. He wasn't dopey or cute, he was the prick that agreed to throw him in as a pledge. 

But honestly, it had been an accident.

He hadn't planned on slashing his tires, he'd thought it was Niall's car. They both had those stupid fucking Ranger Rovers that look identical, so after he'd finished taking the trash out, he may or may not have taken a trip down the road to where the Brothers parked their cars. 

"What the fuck happened to my car?" Harry yelled loudly as he slammed the door behind him, walking through the house to the living room where the other Brothers were having a meeting. He was upstairs at the time, bagging up Jeremy's laundry to take to the laundromat tomorrow morning after class. There were only a few pledges in the house at the time, most of them having been excused or out running errands for the twats. 

He'd stopped what he was doing immediately, cracking open the door slightly so he could hear a little better.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Someone said, not able to distinguish who. Maybe Evan.

"All my fucking tires are flat!"

Zayn's eyes had immediately widened, slapping a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, leaning his back against the wall, head falling back, chest shaking with a silent chuckle. 

"Think it could 'ave been the Beta Theta's?" That was definitely blondie.

"Dunno, could be." That'd be Louis.

"Well we've got to fucking retaliate! I'm not taking this sitting down, mate. That's my  _car_."

There was a few seconds of silence which Zayn allowed himself a proud grin as he shoved the rest of the dirty laundry into the second bag, pulling the draw string and grabbing both of them, heading out and down the stairs. He dropped them by the closet as he grabbed his jacket, shrugging it on, a smile still on his face. 

"I'm off," he called, slinging the bags of laundry over his shoulder. "Jeremy, you know where my dorm is, you can come get it in the morning." He glanced at the long haired lad sprawled out across the couch, giving him a thumbs up.

He nodded, because not all of them were  _that_ bad. Just the select few. 

"Zayn, hold up for a minute." Louis called, standing up, turning to look at him. "Do you anything about Harry's car?"

He raised an eyebrow, glancing around him. "Is this a test for something?" He asked, knowing full well that he was a great liar. Had to be if you wanted to be a journalist.

Louis looked over him for a moment, Harry's ridiculous mopey face staring at him too, eyebrows drawn together, chest heaving. "No, it's fine, you can go. See you tomorrow."

With that, he left quickly because it was becoming increasingly hard to keep a straight face as Harry started waving his arms around in frustration. He was about halfway down the block when he was stopped again, this voice a lot more familiar than the others. He turned with a sigh, facing Liam, unable to even pretend to smile with him in front of him.

"What do you want?" He asked flatly, watching the younger lad jog towards him before gradually slowing to a stop.

Liam shrugged, looking clearly nervous to be standing near him.

_So he fucking should, he sold him out._

"I was just thinking back to when we were in secondary school, and Doniya was dating William Gould, and she came to you crying her eyes out because he'd broken up with her on her birthday. And you took a bus all the way into school in the middle of the day, despite the fact that you were on crutches," he said through a laugh, shaking his head before continuing. "And you slashed his tires at lunchtime."

Zayn thought back to that, how distraught Doniya had been at the time, how she would barely eat and rarely came out of her room. How she lost a lot of her 'friends' and refused to go to school for two weeks afterwards. "Ah, yeah. I remember that."

Liam chuckled, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I won't say a word."

His eyes flickered to the lad, a frown settling on his face. "Why'd you do it?"

That wiped the amusement from his face, eyebrows pulling together in hurt, head dropping. "I didn't agree to it, Zayn. I was completely opposed to it, I voted  _against_ it, I promise. You know I wouldn't force you into that, I know it's not your deal." Liam sighed, eyes still on his feet as he scuffed his shoe along the gravel. "Listen, I know how you feel about this and that I always pester you to come to these parties and take part in things, but I just want you to enjoy your time at university, not always stuck in those offices or in your room."

He stared at him, watching as he finally lifted his head, pain written along his face.

"You  _know_ me, Zayn. Know me better than anyone and I know  _you_ better than anyone. I wouldn't do that to you."

Zayn sighed, because he was right. He knew Liam wouldn't do that to him and it was wrong of him to assume otherwise. "Why didn't you call me or text me, man? Give me a heads up or anything."

"They put me on lockdown," Liam mumbled through a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Took away my phone and everything, one of 'em was with me at all times."

He shook his head. "I really hate them, Liam. Like,  _really_ fucking hate them." _  
_

"I know, I kind of hate them, too."

He exhaled sharply, looking over the road before glancing to Liam. "Well, I'm knackered honestly, mate, so I'm gonna head back to the dorm, got some laundry to do." Liam nodded, stepping closer, to which he couldn't help but smile to, especially with the lucky look on the lad's face. "Come 'ere, you nob." He grinned as he pulled Liam in by the back of his head, other arm wrapping around the back of his shoulders. "Love you, bro."

"Love you, too."

He held Liam close for a moment, kissing the side of his head before ruffling the back of his head as they pulled apart. "See you tomorrow, yeah?"

Liam smiled, giving him that familiar smile. "Tomorrow," he agreed.

They exchanged a slap of hands before both turning off in different directions, Liam back to the house and he to his dorm block. 

He stopped when he was about a hundred yards away from his dorms, remembering that the washers and dryers were still out, so he'd have to to take it to the laundromat in town, the one where Niall had followed in and kissed him. He ignored the burning of his neck and grunted, heading towards the direction of town.

 

Zayn sighed as he stood in line behind the other pledges, the party going around them, just like the first few he'd been to here. Tonight he'd find out who his 'big' was and he hoped to fucking God that it was Liam, that wouldn't be so bad. Bit weird being considered Liam's little brother considering he'd always taken the role of big brother since they were kids, but it wouldn't change the dynamics between them. 

"Craig, time to meet your big brother!" He announced loudly to the party, everyone cheering in union as they had done the last seven times. And of  _course_ , Craig gets put with Liam, forcing an exasperated sigh from his lips, mentally scoring Liam off the list of potentials. As much as he disliked Harry right about now, he wouldn't have even minded him, but Harry was one of the first to have been claimed.

The two worst on the list were Louis and Niall and he couldn't decide which would be worth because he fucking  _despised_ both of them and for all they stood for. They were utter cunts to put it frankly and he just prayed that he got Dexter or Richie, anyone other than them two.

When it was his turn, he held his arm out for the handcuff to curl around his wrist, frowning as it was squeezed a little too tightly around him, sending an annoyed look to Louis. "Zayn. Time to meet your big brother!" He said just as loudly, but with less enthusiasm.

_Oh, fuck._

He was dragged across the garden a little roughly, eyes falling on the muscle clenched in Louis' jaw, shaking his head, immediately knowing that look of distaste. 

"Now you have to spend an hour locked with your brother to really  _bond_ ," he added on, his own teeth gritting as his eyes fell on the smug looking blonde who was leaning against the hot tub, beer in hand, shirt off with one of those stupid hats on. He glared at him when he was given a smirk, watching as Niall stuck his arm out, never taking his eyes off of him. "Have fun," Louis muttered before turning and leaving without another look.

"My new little brother," Niall said with a sip of his beer, looking at him over the rim of his plastic cup.

Zayn rolled his eyes, "God, I am  _so_ honored, blondie. I really am."

Niall smirked, setting down his empty cup. "So about the whole... Being casual friends thing. Taught any more about tha'?" He asked, pulling him slightly closer with the handcuffs.

"I actually forgot all about that," he lied with a shrug. Of course he'd been fucking thinking about it, annoyingly enough. May or may have not got himself off to the thought of it.

The blonde nodded, reaching his other hand out, clearly meant to pull him in. He slapped it away, pushing it against the side of the tub. "Ooh, this is different."

"Not on your life, blondie."

"Still not saying my name, eh?"

Zayn smirked, shaking his head. "Nope."

Niall chuckled, eyes flicking over his shoulder, grin immediately dropping. "Shit," he muttered, yanking him in to his body, twisting him around so he was forced to face the party.

"What are you doing?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Mandy Shaul, the bird in the green. Or my own personal stalker. We fucked once and now she tinks we're together. Tha' was three months ago," Niall mumbled close to the back of his ear.

Zayn hummed, nodding slowly. "Not into that type?"

"Fuck no," Niall grunted, hand curled tightly around his hip. "Just stay still, I don't want her to see me."

"So, how would you feel if I called her over?"

" _Zayn,_ " he warned, fingers digging into the soft skin above his hip. "You're me little, you do as I say."

He sighed, snatching a drink off a passing pledge, taking a sip of as he looked around the party, trying to ignore Niall's hot breath against the back of his neck.  "How does the whole big brother, little brother thing work? How do you decide who gets who?"

"We take a vote," Niall mumbled, keeping his voice low enough just for him to hear. "Usually we ask the pledges to write down their top three candidates, which we  _did_ , just not with you. Knew you'd go for Payno."

Zayn raised an eyebrow, taking a long drink from his cup. "What's so bad about me being with Liam?"

"I think you can answer tha' yourself, pretty boy."

_Because Liam was against him joining._

He hummed, finishing off his drink, passing it back for Niall to settle down without needing to move his body. 

"My turn to ask a question," the blonde said slowly, focus still clearly on Mandy.

"Fire away."

"Other than tha' kiss in the kitchen, 'ave you kissed Louis any other time?"

Zayn sighed, rolling his eyes. "That's your question?" When he got nothing but a shrug in response and a mumbled grunt, his shook his head. "Yeah, one other time. After the formal, not that it's any of your concern."

Niall stiffened behind him, to which he nudged his arm back to rattle their cuffs, back pressed to his chest for a moment, finally feeling him relax. "Okay," was all he said.

_Okay._

 

He blamed it on the cheap beer and the fucking handcuffs, it was the only explanation as to why Niall was shoving him in the coat closet, the same one he'd woken up in after his first night here. He stumbled back slightly, knocking a couple of jackets off the pegs behind him. 

"My jacket is in here--"

"Shut up," Niall muttered, their lips crashing together, catching the rest of his sentence. He pushed their hands up beside his head, still linked together by the fucking handcuffs, fingers lacing together. He didn't hesitate to lick into Niall's mouth, his free hand coming up to curl around the back of his neck, pulling him impossibly closer.

"Fuck," he breathed when Niall's fingers found the buckle of his belt, yanking it so hard his hips lifted up from the row of coats, fingers digging into the blonde's neck. He muffled a grunt against his lips as Niall slid a hand inside his jeans and boxers, wrapping rough fingers around his cock and giving clumsy, long strokes, enough to have him shifting and panting.

"Tha' good, baby?" Niall breathed, lips now against his ear, still obnoxiously chewing a piece of gum, tasting the mint of it on his own tongue. All he could do was nod, hand sliding along the blonde's bare back, hips pushing into his hand, desperate for his jeans to be yanked down at least a few inches at the least. "Want ya to blow me."

_God, he was gonna fucking regret this. Maybe he could drink enough to blank it out._

His eyes slowly opened to focus on Niall's face which was now in front of him again, eyebrow raised. "Why don't you fuckin' blow me?" He slurred, eyebrows pulling together.

Niall mimicked his face, giving the head of his cock a particularly hard squeeze, enough to make him whimper and lose his breath. "Because I'm ya big brother, and ya do as I say."

"Ah, I see the ulterior motive now."

Niall smirked, shaking his head slightly, but not denying it.

Zayn exhaled shakily, "Get your hand off my cock, then," he muttered before twisting them around a little awkwardly until Niall was the one with his back pressed up against the coats, fairly certain that his was probably on the ground. He dropped to his knees, jackets cushioning the blow slightly, making him snicker, thinking of his own choice of words. He glanced up at Niall, needing to keep one hand raised at all times, deciding to let it rest on the blonde's hip, his hand laying over his own as he leaned in and started mouthing over the front of his shorts, pulling a groan from his lips.

"Shit," Niall muttered, his free hand sliding into the back of his hair, a little softer than he was expecting, not that he was complaining. He hooked his thumbs into the elastic of his shorts, pulling one side down halfway, not wasting anytime to pull his boxers down as well, letting his tongue slid along the base of his cock and up along the trail of hair leading up to his belly button. He pulled the rest of the material down with one tug of his hand, smirking as Niall's cock slid along his cheek once it was released, feeling the wet smear over his jaw. He stared up at the blonde as he wrapped his hand around his cock, getting another groan in turn. "I've missed ya."

He swallowed thickly, smirk slipping from his lips, face softening a little. "Missed you, too." He didn't give a chance to get weird or for him to spill too much, leaning in and wrapping his lips around the head of Niall's cock, swirling his tongue around the tip before pressing it flat against his slit.

"Fuck, Zayn," Niall breathed, hand tightening in the back of his hair, pulling him closer. 

Zayn squeezed his hip in warning, telling him not to rush him, knowing Niall understood when he pressed his hips back against the coats. He rewarded him by taking him in slowly, hand wrapped around the base, slowly sucking him with reduced pressure while he hand squeezed.

"Jesus Christ."

Zayn lifted his gaze to stare back up at him again, gradually beginning to bob his head, hollowing out his cheeks as he lowered his hand to his own neglected cock, pulling it from his jeans and boxers, matching the pace of his mouth. His curled his hand move firmly around Niall's hip, thumb pressing into the skin of his thigh, blunt nails digging into his hot skin, judging how well he was doing by the moans and groans he received from above him. 

As soon as he gagged around the lad, Niall grunted above him, scratching at his scalp. "Fuck, I'm gonna come," he muttered through his teeth. Of course Zayn used this to his advantage, pushing himself a little beyond his limits until his eyes were squeezed shut with threatening tears, humming around his cock before the head was nudging against the back of his throat, pulling another gag from him. It was enough to push Niall over the edge, giving him a curse and a choked groan as his hips stuttered forward, coming down his throat. 

It was honestly enough to get him off too, to hear Niall moan so brokenly, sounding so wrecked. He was coming across his own hand only moments later as he swallowed the blonde's load down, staring up at him through blurred eyes as he did so, moaning around his prick as he jerked himself off through his orgasm, still sucking Niall through his. 

Once he felt Niall start to soften on his tongue, he pulled off with a wet smack of lips, licking the trail of spit from Niall's cock to his hips, wiping the rest of with the back of his hand with the hand locked to the blonde's, leaning into his fingers when they pushed through the front of his hair, the other hand dropping to his shoulder. He sat back on his haunches, looking down at his fingers streaked with come, noticing that he'd made a bit of a mess on Niall's leg, chuckling lazy under his breath.

He took the shirt offered to him when Niall pulled it from the back of his shorts, letting him clean them off with it before tugging Zayn up. "I've been waitin' for that since you sent me those texts before break."

Zayn's eyebrows raised slightly at the memory, how he still had the picture of Niall in just his boxers on his phone, the one that he might have jerked off to a couple of times over break back in his bedroom in Bradford and even once in the shower.  "Good as you were expecting?" He asked, voice rough and hoarse around the edges, letting himself be dragged into Niall's bare chest.

"Better."

"Mm, well you know me. Have to outdo my expectations."

"Oh, I know."

He smirked, running his teeth over his bottom lip. "This doesn't mean I like you."

Niall chuckled, nodding slowly. "Good, because I still hate ya guts, pledge."

"I hate yours twice as much,  _big brother._ "

Niall groaned, pressing their lips together firmly, before pulling back with a hum. "Definitely one of the reasons I picked ya to be me little."

"Of course."


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's a magazine editor, and Niall's in a fraternity. Not a lot else to say, is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long wait for an update, I know. Sometimes I just come onto my page and just stare at the story and it pisses me off so much because I don't have the creativity to write. Anyway, hope you enjoy this, already started up on the next one.

Zayn was completely exhausted. Like, this was a whole fucking new level of exhausted, he physically felt like at any moment he could fall asleep on his feet as he was working. He actually had at one point, when he was ironing Beaver's laundry. He'd had to buy him a new shirt. He wasn't the biggest fan of his shirt with a nice fat, brown mark where the iron had been held against it too long. The brothers seemed to be coming down a little bit harder on the pledges as of recently, to the point where a few of the pledges had resigned and handed in their pins because this was just 'too much, dude'. Even if he had the opportunity to quit, he wouldn't. It was something that ran deep in his bones: stubbornness. There was no way he could back out of something, not without giving it his best go. 

He and Niall had been sneaking around quite a bit, although he was sure Liam knew. He'd always give him this look whenever he said he was getting a call from his sister and needed to take a few minutes out. Liam knew that none of his sisters would call him this constantly. It had been Niall's idea and it was honestly stupid, but he went along with it, because he couldn't been dealing with another little hissy fit from the blonde. 

Don't get him wrong, the sex was great and Niall was... Well, Niall was Niall, he was into some pretty kinky shit. Just two days ago, he'd been on his hands and knees on Niall's bed, calling him  _big brother_ the entire time he was getting fucked. He wondered if that was a kink that only ran through fraternities. It wouldn't surprise him, he's walked by Harry's room enough times to hear girls saying all types of things to him. 

'Gentle giant' had to be his personal favourite, though. 

He muffled a yawn into the back of his hand as he walked up to the house, feet dragging along the concrete steps he'd had to pick Dexter up from at least six times in the last three weeks, each time less and less clothing. Last time he'd only been wearing a fucking pair of knickers, so he was not helping next time. He ran a hand through his flat hair with one hand, the other opening the door, pushing it halfway open before stopping, glancing down at the mousetrap laid out on the floor. He ducked his head a little, wondering if it was just too early for him. But no, that was definitely a mousetrap, along with at least a hundred more scattered on the floor, covering the main hallway. He pushed the door open until it eventually hit the wall, eyebrows raising before he sighed. 

"Please tell me this is a joke," he mumbled, just as one of the other pledges came up behind him, looking over his shoulder and immediately grunting, muttering something under his breath. 

"Great," the lad sighed, moving to step away with a sigh. Which he was having none of.

He instantly grabbed the back of his shirt, staring down at the shorter lad. "You're fucking kidding me right, kid?" He asked, looking over his face. "Oh, my God, you're not," he muttered as he looked ahead of him again, blinking in pure bafflement. He glanced over to the staircase to see a smug looking Harry stepping down onto the last step before hitting the hallway, arms crossed over his chest, a shit eating grin on his face. It didn't take long before the other lads surfaced, all grouping down the stairs, taking in the layout in front of them. It actually hurt his brain how the majority of them were laughing over the ones who were looking at Harry with distaste, Louis and Niall included. 

"Liam," Zayn mumbled, looking to the lad moving to stand beside Harry.

The younger lad just looked at him, opening his mouth to say something, arm raising and dropping down by his side. 

"All the other doors and windows are locked, this is the only way," Harry said proudly. 

"Mmhm, I can see that, bro. Done quite the job, haven't you? Must have taken you a while."

Harry shrugged, receiving a pat on the back from Beaver, which didn't surprise him.

Zayn rolled his eyes, unable to handle this anymore, before walking straight through the traps and towards the kitchen, starting off the chain reaction, the loud crack of metal hitting the wood a hundred times almost deafening. By the time he'd made it to the other end of the hall where the traps ceased, he looked back over to the staircase where Harry was leaning over, staring between him and the traps which were still going off, a confused look on his stupid face. 

He glanced down to his own feet, leaning down and pulling off one of the traps that had clamped around his shoelace. His eyes met Harry's as he stood again, raising his eyebrows, waiting for realisation to hit the moron, which, it didn't. He grunted, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not even gonna bother," he sighed in disbelief as he turned and walked into the kitchen, leaving it up to one of the others to tell Harry that his masterplan had one major setback.

The fact that he and the other pledges were wearing fucking  _shoes and wouldn't walk into the house first thing with bare feet._

He'd just set his bag down and turned on the coffee machine when he heard Harry speak up from down the hall.

"Oh, shit, yeah. I forgot about that."

 

He must have been asleep for just over two hours when he was awoken to a sharp crash, body instantly flinching as he looked over to his bedroom door, at least four figures dressed in black rushing towards him. He furiously tried to blink away the blur in his eyes, scrambling on his bed to try and back himself into the wall behind him.

"Deploy! Deploy, grab the pledge!" A voice shouted - fucking Louis - clapping their hands together, standing off to the side while the three others rushed towards him.

"What the fuck?" He yelled as arms wrapped around his body and lifted him from his fucking bed, another pair of arms wrapping around his legs to stop him from kicking, a bag going over his head, blocking out his sight.

As he was carried out, still trying to break from the hold on his body, he picked up Niall's distinctive voice. "Quit it, pledge, there's no getting out of this."

He could hear murmurs around him, no doubt from his hallway as he was carried further away from his room, hoping someone shut his fucking door. It was too early for this shit and he was not in the mood to be dealing with ridiculous fraternity bullshit like this.

"Put me the fuck down before I gouge your fucking eyes out," he growled, trying to take the bag off his head, hands grabbed by a third set, tying them together quickly and painfully tight. 

He refused to stop kicking and struggling, all the way until he was thrown into something cold and hard, landing on another body, only telling by the 'offt' he heard. He scrambled up as the doors shut, his back hitting a wall, cursing under his breath as he listened to muffled voices and heavy breathing.

"Zayn?" Someone muttered from the other side of the room. Wait, no, that was an engine. From the other side of the van.

"Yeah, bro," he answered in a sigh, tugging at the restraint on his wrists.

A long pause followed as the van pulled away from wherever it was parked, jolting his body into someone else's.

"You don't think they're gonna torture us, do you?"

Even in this situation he managed to roll his eyes, shaking his head, before remembering the lad asking - sounded like Aaron - probably couldn't see him. 

"I highly doubt it."

Well he fucking hoped not.

 

Zayn was completely clueless to what was happening the longer he spent in the van. They made a couple more stops, a couple of more pledges were thrown in until he was sure the whole pledging class was in the van, all squished up together. No one talked much, the occasion whisper about what they could be doing before someone up front told them to shut up or they'd all be punished. After a while though, the van stopped and people were dragged out. He thought when they stopped, they'd all be getting out, but they'd been driving for far too long to be back at the Kappa Phi house, and not everyone was being pulled out. He could physically feel the van thinning out with each stop, barely heard the questioning 'where are we's and the 'what's going on's, straining his ears to maybe pick up on an answer.

He didn't know how much later it was when he was being grabbed by the arms and dragged out of his uncomfortable spot, and he definitely didn't hesitate to stir up a fuss, even as he was yanked around.

"I'm not in the mood for this shit," he growled, yanking his arms free, but he didn't make a move to run away.

"You're never in the mood for anything, Zayn," Beaver grumbled, taking the bag off his head. 

He blinked at the sudden light, although it was just from a street lamp. He gathered his bearings, looking around, certain they were in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. 

"What are you doing?" He ordered when his shirt was yanked over his head, instantly feeling the chill of the night, grunting as he was lifted from behind so his sweats were yanked off, leaving him in just his boxers. His eyes landed on the pledge that had been pulled out with him, unable to recall his name. The short stack with messy red hair and a shit ton of freckles. He remembered interviewing him for the magazine, but couldn't for the life of him recall his name.

Zayn's eyes landed on Niall, pulling out a switchblade and stepping forward with a smirk, grabbing one of his arms and cutting the binds on his wrists. "Think of it as stage one," he muttered, sounding ridiculously smug, certain his own blood was boiling. He definitely didn't miss the way Niall's eyes roamed his body, settling on the bruises he'd left on his hips, a knowing glint in his eye.

"Stage one of what?"

"Hazing," the small red head answered beside him, giving him a shrug when their eyes met.

Zayn's jaw clenched, looking back at Niall and Beaver. "Hazing is illegal. I think you're forgetting that I'm on the fucking magazine, you fuckers."

"Nothing gets given to your editor without Louis' permission," Beaver told him, wagging his eyebrows, and he instantly stepped forward to smack him right in the fucking mouth.

Niall chuckled, nudging him back. "Easy now. Here," he muttered, handing him a camera and a list. "You've gotta earn your way back to the house. You need to do everything on that list, with photographic evidence."

"How do we get home once we've done that?" The red head asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Niall smirked, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll leave that to you to figure out." With that, Niall shoved Beaver's shoulder and they both climbed into the van again, after shutting the doors on the last couple of pledges. 

He watched the van drive off, not shy in giving both middle fingers, which earned him a honk of the horn.

With a sigh, he looked down to the kid, arms wrapped around himself, dressed in a pair of red briefs. "What's your name again, lad?"

"Alien."

Zayn instantly frowned, eyebrow raising. "Your name isn't Alien."

"Well, no, it's David, but the brothers named me Alien," David--  _Alien_ mumbled.

He paused for a moment, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, not bothering in arguing. "Alien it is. I'm Zayn."

"I know."

"Terrific," he muttered, starting towards town, glad he'd at least decided to wear boxers to bed. "You have any clue where we are?" He asked, glancing around the place for signs, but Alien seemed to find one first. 

"Barnsley."

Zayn immediately turned to look at the red head, head snapping around to the sign he was pointing to, indicating they were close to Barnsley station. "Fucking brilliant," he grunted, running a hand through his hair. They were a good twenty or so miles away from the university. He'd driven through Barnsley a couple of times when Yaser used to take him and his sisters to see their aunt who lived down South, but they never stopped through here.

He was well aware of the looks they were getting, people walking by staring at the stupid kids in just their underwear, probably thinking they were on the pub crawl and completely smashed. He gave a terse, sarcastic smile when a couple of guys drove by, beeping the horn and cat calling, waving them off before rolling his eyes. 

"Let's get this over with," Zayn grunted, unfolding the list with blue ink scrawled over the back of a receipt. Very professional. 

 

_Hulk and Alien's List_

 

_Get served without using money or ID_

_Get a stranger to give you the clothes off of their back (more points for pictures with them)_

_Start a fight_

_Swim in the fountain outside of the library (more points for nakedness)_

 

"Fucking 'nakedness'?"

"Keep reading."

_Get a kiss from a stranger_

_Buy and wear clothes from a charity shop (more points depending on how hideous the clothes are)_

_Bring us something to eat_

 

Zayn shook his head as he finished reading out the list, dropping his arm to his side with a sigh. "Doesn't tell us how to get money, though," he grunted, glancing down to Alien who was glancing around the place. "Fancy swimming naked in the fountain?" He asked, lifting his head to look around the town.

"Sure," Alien sighed. "If it'll get me into this stupid fraternity. Let's find the library."

It only took them about fifteen minutes or so to find the library, right at the end of the high street, having to stop once when Alien stood on a piece of broken glass. Zayn glanced down at the camera in his hand, looking over the grey hunk of heavy plastic. It was one of those really, really fucking cheap Polaroid ones that were fairly recent, telling by the design and structure of the camera. But if it the trick, then so be it.

When they reached the fountain, he glanced back down at Alien, lips pursed as he watched him tuck his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs, eyebrows raising when the kid looked at him. "Do you mind?" He asked.

"Oh, no. Of course not." He immediately turned his head away, forcing away a laugh. "Sorry," he added on. 

He didn't look back until he heard a splash, turning his head to see short stack - pale arse towards him - treading through the fountain, not holding back in splashing around. 

"Looking good, bro!" He called, eyes lifting to the people clearly confused by what the fuck was happening. He would be to, especially at this time of night. "We gotta make these look good, so give me a nice pose, yeah?" He added on. If they were gonna do this, they were gonna do it right.

Alien nodded, pushing his hair out of his face before looking up at the two angels pouring water out of their vases, no doubt some important relevance to the town. "I'm gonna climb up," Alien muttered after spitting out a mouthful of water.

Zayn chuckled to himself, giving him a thumbs up instead of answering. He stepped back a few steps to make sure Alien could have his moment and it could be captured properly through the lens. He watched in amusement as the red head climbed up over the angels, going so far as to cop a feel at one point. He propped himself up on one of the angels legs, arm wrapped around her neck as if they were three casual friends, and it was honestly fucking brilliant. He took the picture after forcing himself to stop laughing, lowering the camera as he watched the Alien slowly appear on the photographic paper. He pulled it out, shaking it a couple times to develop it, before casting his eyes on the fucking  _masterpiece_.

"Mate," he yelled in disbelief, making sure to be heard over the loud water running. "You're a legend," he praised, stepping closer as Alien started to climb down, going down with a groan when he slipped, sending Zayn into another loud laugh. "You good?" He asked when the lad was finally out.

"I slipped on a penny."

 

Getting a kiss would probably be the next easiest thing to do on the list, so they decided they might as well tackle the easier ones first and get them out of the way before they took on the trickier ones.

"Excuse me, ladies," he called out to a few girls, all dolled up for the night, chatting among themselves. He wasn't surprised when they didn't completely stop, just looked over their shoulders to him. "I know this is a bit forward, but me and my friend here have been set on a little assignment. We're actually pledges for a fraternity up at Leeds uni? And, uh," he glanced down to the list when the three actually turned to look towards him, giving him the all clear to slowly approach. "One of the things on our list is to get kissed by a stranger. One of you fancy doing me a solid and giving me a kiss?" He asked hopefully, definitely turning on the charm. These girls were definitely fit and it wouldn't be the worst thing to get a kiss.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" The brunette with the red dress asked.

Zayn chuckled. "Do you think we'd be out wondering around town in the middle of the night in just our underwear with a camera for fun? Plus, look at my friend over here. He just had to take a dip in the fountain by the library. Look, I've got the picture." He stepped closer, showing the girls the Polaroid, gaining a couple of laughs and coos. He glanced over at a blushing Alien, giving him a wink. "So, any of you up for it, girls? Just need one kiss."

They all seemed to mull it over, before the blonde shrugged and stepped forward. "One kiss?"

"Just the one."

"Alright," she agreed, the other two giggling behind her as she stepped closer. "Ready?"

He chuckled, "Absolutely." 

When she stepped closer, he gave a nod to Alien and rest his hand on the girls waist, closing his eyes and leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips, holding back a smirk when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer, taking the invitation to move his lips a little against hers. 

"Got the picture, Zayn," Alien mumbled, which he just hummed in reply to, licking into the girls mouth when her fingers slipped into the back of his hair, other hand sliding over her hip, pulling her warmth a little closer to his bare body. She made this adorable little keening noise as her hand tightened in his hair, slipping her tongue over his and he felt the heat curl in his gut at the little action, tilting his head a little to deepen the kiss.

His eyebrows rose with a lazy smirk when she was pulled away from him by the other two who were still giggling, eyes opening slowly to look at each of them in turn. "Thank you, girls. This was much appreciated." He gave them one last little bow before turning to Alien and nudging him back in the direction they'd just come from, taking the picture being offered to him to look it over. He smiled to himself, feeling a little better at getting a kiss like that. It felt like it'd been a long time since he'd kissed a girl, and he could definitely see what he was missing out on.

"You wanna clean up before we move onto the next task?" Alien asked, taking the picture back.

"Why?"

"Because you've got lipstick all over your face."


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so bad at updating, honestly. I can't even think of something to excuse myself.

"Alright, what should we do next?" Zayn asked once he'd wiped the lipstick off his face with the back of his arm, glancing around town.

Alien hummed in thought, looking over the list. "What about getting served without money or ID?" He offered up, Zayn shrugging with a nod in response.

"Easy enough," he agreed, nudging the lad towards the nearest pub. "You wanna take this one?" 

Alien nodded with a grin, and Zayn definitely liked this kid, giving his shoulder a pat before he took the camera and followed him up to the bar.

They younger lad climbed up onto the bar stool, waving over the bartender, which happened to be a dude, which was unfortunate. Probably would have been a lot easier if it'd been a girl, probably could have turned all cute and needy. 

"I'll have a beer," Alien told the lad with a nod, the bartender looking him over, first probably wondering why the fuck he was half naked in his bar, and then thinking over that this half naked kid was just that. A kid. "Before you say no, I won't even have to technically drink it. I just need a picture of you giving me a beer, and I don't have any money either, so there's that."

The bartender looked over to Zayn, taking him in too before going back to staring down Alien. "It's still illegal for me to serve you beer, little dude. I can't do it."

Alien sighed, glancing over to Zayn for help, which he stepped to the challenge. "I'll cut the shit, we're trying to do a list to get into a stupid fucking fraternity, and this is part of it."

This seemed to spark the guy's interest a little, taking the list and pictures Zayn was offering out, making a comment under his breath about how the girl in the picture was fit. "What fraternity are you trying to get into?"

"Delta Phi," Zayn supplied with a sigh, leaning against the side of the bar, glancing around as he did. This would be the perfect place to start a fight too, the typical bar brawl, he was sure those idiots would enjoy that.

"Up in Leeds? I think I've been to a couple parties up there. My girlfriend goes there."

_Who gives a fuck, dude, just give us the beer._

"That's the place," Alien agreed. "Do you think you can help us out? I don't even like drinking anyway, we just need the picture."

Zayn gave Alien a fond smile for a moment, wondering if he was pledging just for the academic kick that you got out of joining a fraternity. He didn't seem all that thrilled about joining either.

The lad behind the bar looked them over before shrugging and grabbing a beer. "Don't see why not. Will you do me a favour, though? Do you know a guy, uh. Tomson, Thomas, or something. He--"

"Tomlinson?" Alien interrupted.

"Yes! That's the fucker," the lad grunted, twisting the top off a Budweiser. "When you see him, just fucking deck him for me, would ya? I won't go into detail why, but it involves duct tape and my dick." The lad shook his head with a harsh grimace, sliding the beer over to Alien.

Zayn gave a solemn nod of his head. "Enough said. Who can I say ordered the hit?"

"Jimmy McAdams."

"It's a done deal, Jimmy McAdams, now huddle close to Alien and get in the picture."

He snapped a photo of Alien pretending to take a sip while Jimmy slung an arm around his shoulders, it was ridiculous, but it would do. 

Once that was taken care of, Zayn turned to Alien once he stepped away from the bar, sighing and giving him the camera. "Who's gonna handle the fight?" He asked, already knowing the answer, confirmed with Alien's sheepish smile. "Alright, let's get this over with." 

Zayn wondered if all the lists were personalised, or if they were all the same, and if they were, he felt bad for the kids who had to pick a fight, most of them would probably get their asses kicked brutally. 

He looked around the bar, and it actually didn't take long for a group of dudes to start shit with them.

"Couple of faggots on their first date, how cute," some dick in a polo called over from where he was leaning against the other side of the bar, his friends all laughing. 

Zayn was going to kill that stupid fraternity. But first he was going to lay into this prick.

"Aww, how about you come over here and suck my dick then, pretty boy. You clearly think you can do much better," he called back, before glancing at Alien. "Get ready."

Polo shirt didn't look too pleased, setting his beer down and sauntering over to him, more fat then muscle. "What did you say--" was what he was trying to say, but Zayn took the opportunity to throw his weight into a right hook.

Zayn shook his hand out, dude had a face like concrete, he'd give him that. Though he couldn't dwell on that for too long before he was getting a punch to the face, right in the fucking eye before he was being shoved back into one of the metal pillars. 

He was dazed for a couple secinds as polo shirt took hits to his stomach, finally righting himself and managing to get his arms around his shoulders and push his head down to knee him in the face. 

It wasn't a very long fight before other people intervened, and he and Alien were being shoved out, but he definitely got the worst of it, took a fucking bottle to the head, in fact.

"Zayn, we should definitely take you to the fucking hospital," Alien rushed out as he helped him away from the pub. 

Zayn shook his head, standing up straight and righting himself. He couldn't see out of one eye and his mouth was full of blood, plus he may have fractured a rib, but it could have been worse. He'd been in worse. 

"Third fucking fight I've been involved in thanks to this shitty fraternity," he mumbled, voice a little mumbled, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he touched the back of his head, hand coming away red, though it wasn't a real cause for concern, just hurt like a bitch. "Did you get a good picture?" He asked as he held his side, both of them hobbling away from the pub. Alien was still soaked and he could see the shiver in his face, lips going a little purple. 

Alien grinned then, giving him four Polaroids, and damn, they were some good shots, he even got a Rocky Balboa one, him landing a punch along polo's jaw. It was a proud shot, he'd admit.

"Let's keep going," Zayn sighed after a minute. "How many have we got left?" He asked, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He may have swallowed a tooth.

"Three left," Alien filled in. "Get a stranger to give us their clothes for a picture, buy and wear clothes from a charity shop and bring them something to eat."

Zayn modded, arm clutching his side as he looked around the town square. "How are we supposed to get money? We gonna busk?"

Alien shrugged, "I can beatbox."

"Work your magic, bro."

The night was a mixture of rough and oddly easy in some cases. Alien managed to bag four pounds from bearboximg the Star Wars theme song and an old school Green Day classic, and he was actually really fucking good, deserved more than four pounds and a couple of bottle caps. 

Once they had the money sorted, they set it aside and asked a fucking ton of people to give them their clothes, all telling them to piss off, or get a fucking life, you losers. 

So much fun.

But they struck gold on a group of drunk guys, all ten or so years older who were more than happy to take off their clothes, just for the fun of it, and one even jumped into Zayn's arms bridal style and he'd managed to not buckle over, his ribs screaming at him.

After returning the oversized jeans and red button down which reeked of sweat, beer and cheap aftershave, Zayn wanted to jump in that fucking fountain, and of course the dude who'd taken the picture for them had obviously taken a picture of his cock. So that was a nice addition to their family album. 

"I'm gonna fucking keel over in a minute," Zayn muttered, wiping the drop of blood leaking from his eyebrow when it trickled down his cheek. "And I'm pretty sure you're gonna get phenomena, bro," he chuckled, while Alien full on cracked up.

This night was fucking mental. 

"Let's get some ridiculous clothes with your winnings, snag some food and get the fuck outta here." 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I don't even know what to do with his story anymore. Almost been a year since I last updated a chapter. I don't even like parts of the story anymore, it's been two maybe three years since I started it and I still don't really have a storyline. It's annoying, because I want to change parts in every chapter. Ughhhhhhhh~ anyway, here's the next one.

Zayn didn't know how or when it happened, or when he'd busted his leg up, but he was half hobbling to the charity shop for their second to last challenge, while Alien was struggling not to die from hypothermia, and keel over from the bloody nose he got from running into the door on their way out. Or, no-- they were kicked out, but still, it was very self inflicted. He was surprised they hadn't been arrested yet, honestly. Wondering around town, half naked, limping and covered in blood and other fluids. 

Once they were in, the lady behind the counter gave them a pretty horrible grimace, not that he blamed her, he'd kick them the fuck out if he saw two lad's like them in his shop. He didn't want to hang around in there any longer than they had to, ready to just get in and get out, get some food and leave. Though they still had to consider how to get back to the house yet.

It took them about ten minutes to pick out some clothes, getting as much horrendous shit as they could for four quid, which consisted of Alien getting these amazing leopard print leggings, a long purple coat and one of those big hats that Hepburn wears in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

"You look like a pimp," Zayn told Alien as they paid for their stuff, managing to hit three seventy nine, which was pretty sound, pretty lucky, going back into the changing rooms after declining a bag, because fuck that 5p charge, and they were wearing the clothes out, so what was the point.

"And you look like my whore," was Alien's response once he stepped out of the dressing room, glancing down at the sight of his leather pants and Barbie crop top, paired with a red bandanna, before shrugging. "You're right. Come on, pimp daddy, let's go get some food and get the fuck outta dodge."

Getting the food was the hardest task of them all, because people didn't tend to give away free food, no restaurant would be down for that, which was, once again, completely understandable. It just made things that much fucking harder. 

Until.

"Fuck it," Zayn decided after a failed fourth attempt of walking out of a shitty pizzeria, going around the back of the alley ways behind all the food stops, where there was just piles and piles of wasted food, and he rooted through one of the bins, pulling out half empty boxes of Chinese food, shoveling up whatever he could find and filling them up.

Alien looked at him in both amusement and surprise. "We can't do that! We definitely won't get in, dude."

"They're not gonna fucking know," Zayn told him with a shrug. "You're not gonna tell them, right?" He asked, pausing to look over his shoulder with another silent 'right?' and went back to loading the Yale out boxes when Alien just sighed and nodded. "C'mon, you can't tell me you feel bad about it. After the shit we've done tonight. You're blue, man. I'm worried you're gonna die before we get back to the house and all this will be for shit." 

"Wow, thanks for the corcern."

It took about five minutes of rummaging through the trash until they had about five boxes, and he wiped them down as much as possible with balled up napkins on the floor before calling it good, shoving it in a paper bag. Then they just had to find a ride how, and with less than a pound to their names, they ended up standing on the side of the road with their thumbs out. He threw his leg out every now and then, though the leather trousers were too tight to show a bit of leg. 

"The ol' razzle dazzle," was his response to Alien asking what the fuck he was doing. "May as well whore myself out to match the outfit." 

He just wanted to do to fucking bed, and if that meant he'd had to show his dick to an old lady to get a ride on her scooter, he absolutely would. His life morals were out the window. 

It took Zayn lifting up his crop top and shaking absolutely nothing while Alien did some type of tap routine by him, for-- Jesus Christ, for a group of bikers to pull over. He'd laugh if he could muster up the energy to be surprised anymore, laugh because he was sure the guy with the handlebar moustache was eyeing him up like a t-bone. 

"Need a ride?" The guy in front asked, looking very much like Hulk Hogan, though didn't every stereotypical biker. 

Why couldn't they look like Jax Teller, man. 

"Abso-fucking-loutely," was his simple answer as he climbed on the back of Hulk's-- wasn't his nickname Hulk? It was fate --bike, taking the helmet and pulling it on over his bandana. He fit the part, really. It was no wonder they were picked up; he had the leather slacks, the midriff, the bandana - he was the perfect old lady. 

"Zayn," Alien muttered, eyes wide. "Are we really doing this?"

"We're doing this. Now get on one of the bike's before I leave your pimpin' arse here," he warned, watching him skulk to one of the bikes behind, here a muttered 'please don't molest me.'

Zayn wrapped his arms around Hogan's waist, fat and muscle and beer, resting his cheek on the back of his leather cut after giving him the address to the fraternity, and man, what an arrival this would be.

It was about a thirty minute drive, and honestly, he fucking loved it, as weird as the whole thing was, it was awesome. And he could hear Alien screaming into the wind, and it had him dying laughing, every 'oh god, no!' and 'stop, stop, stop!' It had his sides fucking aching, more so than just because of the fractured rib. 

Zayn yelled out the story to Jodi - not Hulk - about how he got into this mess, what it was all for, about Niall and Liam and Louis and even Harry, just completely laid down the story for him, from A to Z, everything in between, and at the end of it as they pulled up to the house, where all the guys were waiting in lawn chairs, he was given Jodi's number, tucked into the hip of his leather pants in case he ever needed a ride or someone to vent to. Funnily enough, Jodi was a guidance counsellor at a secondary school. 

This night just got weirder and weirder. 

He gave Jodi a wink when he smacked at his ass with a laugh and had to help Alien off the bike where he was still clinging on to Handlebars, and he gave the group of them, about ten, a salute, then another flash of his chest which had them whooping away. 

"That was fun, right?" Zayn asked Alien as they headed up the path to the house, arm wrapped around the kid's shoulders, snorting when he just gave a hysterical laugh. 

"Wow," Louis yelled out above all the laughter as they approached. "Definitely the most interesting ride home we've had all night." 

Zayn didn't say anything, just sighed through his nose as they all laughed it up, Louis eventually climbing down the stairs, coaxing Alien to hand him the food and pictures, and started showing them around. He felt an odd mixture of humiliation and pride, standing there like a soldier being addressed by their drill sergeant. 

He looked up from where he was picking a piece of noodle off his crop top and met Niall's eyes, blatantly looking him up and down. 

"Oh, my god, really?" He accused in annoyance, because this outfit was dumb and Niall was looking at him like he was dressed to the nines. 

"Makes sense, dude. You look like a prostitute," Alien muttered to him, which he snorted at in return. 

True. 

When the picture of him kissing the girl was shown around, he ignored two sets of eyes on him, could feel them from either side of the semi circle, and instead focused on Liam when he stepped out of the semi circle to look him over, pulling off his bandana, which he'd bled through.

Zayn didn't know how long they stood there for, but when Louis mentioned recognising the guy in the picture from the bar, serving Alien, he felt a little better, stepping forward and slamming his fist straight across his jaw, before stepping back into place again. 

"That was from Jimmy McAdams," he told him, always more than happy to punch someone like Louis, regardless if it was for someone else or not. He wanted to pound his fucking face into the ground after making him participate in pledging, all for a fucking article. 

He was starting to think the article wasn't even worth it at this point. Being on the magazine wasn't fucking worth it anymore. 

"Fair enough," Louis muttered around a hand plugging his bleeding nose. "I deserved that, probably."

"We should get you to the medical centre," Liam spoke up and Louis nodded. 

"Good idea, I think my nose is broken."

"Not you, moron. Zayn," Liam clarified. 

"I'll go on my own, kind of don't want anything to do with any of you right now." Zayn nudged Alien's side, telling him he'd walk him back to his dorm, doing just that before he got himself to the nurse to put five stitches in his head and tell him to quit pledging. 


End file.
